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The Family of 
William Penn 
Founder of Pennsylvania 
Ancestry and Descendants 



BY ./ 

HOWARD M. JENKINS 

AUTHOR OF VOLUME ONE, MEMORIAL HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA, 

ETC., ETC. 



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1899 

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A. 

THE AUTHOR 

LONDON, ENGLAND 
HEADLEY BROTHERS, 1 4, BISHOPSGATE WITHOUT 






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Copyright, 1899, by Howard M. Jenkins. 



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PREFACE. 

^^^^Y^HE occasion of this volume is substantially, per- 
■ I haps sufficiently, stated in the opening of the 
first chapter. To the explanation there given a 
few particulars may be added. There has always been, the 
author believes, a strong and very reasonable interest in 
the personality of William Penn, as the Founder of Penn- 
sylvania, and as a worthy figure in the world's history, and 
some of this interest attaches to the line of those who have 
descended from him. The volume here prepared assumes 
simply to deal with this Family subject. It is not a history 
nor a biography. In one or two places, perhaps, the record 
has been permitted an extension which could not be entirely 
justified by the plan of- the work, but excusing this by the 
special interest of the subject at those points, the author 
thinks the book has been fairly confined to its original and 
legitimate plan. 

Some of the family letters, very possibly, may be re- 
garded as containing details too trivial for printing. The 
view adopted as to such matters has been that the account 
is thus made more precise and distinct, and is invested with 
human interest. 

Indeed, a book of this character must in part find its 
justification as being a study, a picture, of social conditions 
in the period to which it belongs, and such a study or 
picture is obviously of little value unless it is presented with 
lines sufiiciently distinct, and details suflficiently definite, to 
make a positive impression on the mind. While it has not 

iii 



iv Preface, 

been desired to dwell upon features that are unpleasing, 
and not to reward a reader — if any such there be — who 
comes in search of scandal, yet it has not been thought 
proper to omit a candid, if brief, mention of whatever is 
essential to the completeness of the record. 

One criticism to be reasonably made is that which must 
apply to nearly all such works, — that the treatment of in- 
dividuals is unequal, that in cases where the claims are 
alike more is said of one and less of another. This is 
explained by the variation of materials, — in one case they 
are abundant, in others scanty. Concerning some persons 
there survive letters and documents so numerous and so 
full that there is no difficulty in making a satisfactory 
account of them, while as to others only a few particulars 
remain, or are accessible. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
I 

PAGE 

The Origin of the Penn Family 1 

II 
Admiral Penn's Progenitors 5 

III 

Admiral Sir William Penn 14 

IV 
William Penn : Childhood and Youth 30 

V 

William Penn's First Marriage 47 

VI 
William Penn's Second Marriage 67 

VII 
Family Life at Ruscombe 88 

VIII 
William Penn, Junior 106 

IX 
Thomas Penn 129 

V 



vi Table of Contents. 

X 

PAGE 

The Descendants of Thomas Penn 153 

XI 
Richard Penn and his Descendants 177 

XII 
William Penn, Third, and his Descendants 204 

XIII 
Supplementary and Concluding Chapter 229 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

William Penn Frontispiece. 

"The Portrait in Armour." Engraved on steel, 1877, by S. C. Armstrong, 
from the painting in the gallery of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 

Admiral Penn 15 

From an engraving of the portrait by Sir Peter Lely, at Greenwich Hospital, 
England. 

Letter from the Duke of Ormonde to Admiral Penn . 39 

From the original in the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsyl- 
vania. 

William Penn 47 

After engraving by John Hall, London, 1773, of the drawing (1770) by Du 
Simitiere, of ivory bust in alto relievo (from memory), by Sylvester Bevan. 

JoRDANS, England 59 

Burial-place of William Penn and his family. From a recent photograph. 

Plan of Grounds at Jordans 67 

From a drawing about 1853, folded frontispiece to " A Visit to the Grave of 
William Penn" (London, Wm. and Frederick G. Cash). 

John Penn 73 

"The American." From the original painting, ascribed to Sir Godfrey 
Kneller, in the possession of Mrs. Admiral Lardner, Philadelphia. 

Thomas Penn 89 

From the picture in the gallery of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 
Copy of the original, by Peter Van Dyck, 1760, in the possession of the Earl 
of Ranfurly, at Dungannon Park, Ireland. 

Lady Juliana Penn 129 

From the mezzotint by Charles Turner, in the collection of the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania, of portrait in crayon, in the po.ssession of the Earl 
of Ranfurly. 

Children of Thomas Penn 139 

From a mezzotint by Charles Turner of the painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 
1761. The four children are Juliana (Mrs. Baker), Louisa Hannah, John, 
and Granville. (The original was at Tempsford Hall, Beds., in the posses- 
sion of Major William Dugald Stuart). 

vii 



viii List of llludrations. 

PAGE 

Old Manor-House, Stoke Poges 145 

Built 1555, by Henry, Earl of Huntingdon. Occupied by Lord Keeper Hat- 
ton and Sir Edward Coke. Country residence of Thomas Penn, and Johu 
Penn, 1760-90. Partly taken down by John Penn. From a recent photo- 
graph. ' 

Doorway, Old Manor-House, Stoke Poges 147 

Showing the date, 1555. From a recent photograph. 

John Penn 153 

Of stoke, son of Thomas. Photogravure of portrait by James R. Lambdin, 
in the gallery of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Original by Pine, 
presented by John Penn to Edmund Physick. 

Stoke Park 159 

Residence of John Penn, and of members of his branch of Penn Family, 
1790-1848. View from the rear. From a recent photograph. 

John Penn 162 

Of stoke, son of Thomas. In uniform as lieutenant-colonel of Royal Bucks 
Yeomanry. From the mezzotint of the portrait by Sir W. Beechey, P.R.A., 
at Pennsylvania Castle, in possession of J. Merrick Head, Esq. 

Richard Penn, Proprietary 177 

From the original painting, by Richard Wilson, K.A., in the possession of 
Mrs. Admiral Lardner, Philadelphia. 

Hannah Lardner Penn 182 

From the original painting, by Richard Wilson, K.A., in the possession of 
Mrs. Admiral Lardner, Philadelphia. 

Governor John Penn 187 

Son of Richard, Proprietary. Etching by Albert Rosenthal, Philadelphia. 

Christiana Gulielma (Penn) Gaskell 208 

From the portrait in the possession of Colonel Peter Penn-Gaskell Hall, 
Philadelphia. 

Note.— The reproduction alluded to on page 229, of the photograph of Admiral Penn's 
tablet in St. Mary Redclille, was in the possession of the Historical Society of Pennsyl- 
vania, but has been lost; in order not to delay the issue of the book it is omitted. 



ADDITIONS, CORRECTIONS. 



On page 5 the spelling Stoke Pogis should follow that used generally 
elsewhere in the book, Stoke Poges. 

Page 21. My friend Isaac Sharp, custodian of the Friends' records at 
Devonshire House, London (whose kind aid in the preparation of this 
work I take this opportunity to acknowledge), writes me: "I have in 
my possession the original letter from William Poole to Admiral Penn, 
dated Livorno, Italy, June 2, 1670. 

Page 30. In the eleventh line from the bottom, for " fourteen" read 
eleven. 

Page 34. Foot-note, the Fairlop oak is said to have blown down in 
1820, not 1870. 

Page 39. Second line from bottom, for " Stewart" read Stuart. 

Page 39, and elsewhere. Tempsford Hall, Bedfordshire, the residence 
of Major Stuart, was totally destroyed by fire, November 11, 1898. The 
"Portrait in armour" of William Penn, the P"'ounder, was one of the 
few things saved. The family portraits, and the fine library collected 
by Major Stuart's grandfather, William Stuart, shared the destruction of 
the hall. 

Page 39, and elsewhere. " Pennsylvania Castle" remains in the pos- 
session of J. Merrick Head, Esq., of Ardverness, Eeigate, Surrey. The 
author of this volume has been favored by him with fine photographic 
views of the Castle, and of the adjoining ruins of the old Rufus Castle, 
said to have been erected by William Rufus. Besides other family por- 
traits, there are four of John Penn (son of Thomas) in Pennsylvania 
Castle, one of these being the military portrait, by Sir AV. Beechey, 
P.R.A., the mezzotint engraving of which is reproduced in this volume. 

Page 40. Foot-note, for " Thomas" Sartain read John. 

Page 55. Eighth line from top, for " his mother" read his wife. (The 
inheritance of Worminghurst is correctly stated on next page.) 

Page 56. Fifth line from top, attention has been called to the date of 
the birth of the first child of William Penn. It is given as the records 
give it (cited by Coleman), but would be better if double-dated, "11 
Mo. 23, 1672-73,"—?. e., January 23. This child died First Month 
(March), 1673, and the date 1672, in the fourteenth line, should be 
corrected to read 1673. (See also page &Q, fourth line from bottom.) 

Page 60. First line, for "three years" read two years. (The same 
subject is correctly referred to on next page, fourth line from top.) 

Page 75. The portrait of John Penn, at the Philadelphia Library, is 
not by Sir Godfrey Kneller (though so stated in a number of works of 
authority), but is a copy, 1859, by James R. Lambdin. (The canvas, on 
the back, is lettered " Thomas Penn," but this appears to be, upon the 
best obtainable evidence, an error.) 

ix 



X Additions, Corrections. 

Page 79. Line 18, Thomas Freame had probably not " been at Rus- 
combe," as the Penn residence there had no doubt been given up about 
1719, but apparently he had been at John Penn's country place, wherever 
that then was. 

Page 79. Last line, for 1746 read 1740. Same correction on page 87, 
eighth line from bottom. (See foot-note, page 142.) 

Page 85. Lines 17 and 18, Simon Clement was the uncle of Hannah 
Penn, not her brother-in-law ; he was husband to her aunt Mary. (The 
relationship is correctly mentioned near bottom of page 89, and is 
exactly stated page 68, line 6.) 

Page 90. Foot-note, " Lace" Raylton should be Taee. The passage 
in Beck and Ball's work speaks of Isaac Sowle, and I have followed it, 
but it was Andrew Sowle (who d. 1695), who was the Friends' printer. 

Page 146. The poem by Thomas Gray, " A Long Story," gives in two 
of its stanzas some description of the old manor-house at Stoke : 

" lu Britain's isle, no matter where, 
An ancient pile of building stands : 
The Huntingdons and Hattons there 
Employed the pow'r of fairy hands 

" To raise the ceiling's fretted height, 
Each panel in achievements clothing, 
Rich windows that exclude the light. 
And passages that lead to nothing." 

Page 174. Second line from top, Mr. Henry Stuart was M.P. for 
Bedfordshire. 

Page 175. " Belrath" should be Balrath, and " Kempstone" should be 
Kempston. 

Page 177, Line 11, for " Hannah" read Rebecca. 

Page 179. Foot-note, line 1, for " Hannah" read Margaret. Same 
correction, page 180, line one. 

Page 190. James Greenleaf, whose wife was the niece of Ann (Allen) 
Penn, was not married to her at the time of the conveyance of "Lans- 
downe," in 1795; the marriage took place (as I am informed by Mr. 
Chas. Henry Hart) April 26, 1800. 

Page 207. Foot-note, the reference should be to Beck and Ball's 
"London Friends' Meetings," (The work is correctly cited in foot-note, 
page 90.) 

Page 239. Line 17, the statement that Thomas Freame probably did 
not return to England between 1732 and 1734 is an error. The fact is 
correctly stated on pages 74 and 133 (including foot-note), that he ar- 
rived in September, 1734, at Philadelphia, in company with John Penn, 
and his (T. F.'s) family, and as he had previously been here, in 1732, it 
is evident he must meantime have returned to England. The Pennsyl- 
vania Gazette for September 26, 1734, says, — 

" An Express from New Castle having late last Thursday night brought the agreeable 
News that the Honourable John Penn, Esq., the eldest of our Proprietors, with his 
Brother-in-law, Mr. Freame, his Lady and Family, were on board a ship from London 
standing up this River | Thomas Penn and others hastened early next morning to Chester 
and] Mr. Penn, Mr. Freame and his Lady came on shore about 4 in the afternoon." 

Page 252. Line 2, for "Masters" read Allen. 



THE FAMILY 



OF 



WILLIAM PENN. 



The facts concerning the family of William Penn are 
not, to my knowledge, collected in any one work. Some 
of them are not to be found in a satisfactory form at all ; 
most of them must be laboriously sought in scattered and 
not easily consulted volumes. It has appeared to me that 
the whole subject deserved a fresh, orderly, and compre- 
hensive restatement. 

I have availed myself for this essay of all the authorita- 
tive printed matter concerning the Founder and his family 
with which I am acquainted, accessible in Philadelphia, and 
have consulted some unprinted manuscripts, and I think 
the result will be regarded as reasonably satisfactory in 
point of accuracy. If errors appear, it may be hoped that 
those better informed will supply the needed corrections, so 
that we may thus have a record both complete and correct. 
Perhaps I should add that in order to give unity to the 
narrative, and to make it clear to the reader, I have included 
in it many well-known facts concerning the Founder and 
his father, the Admiral, as well as those gleaned from obscure 
sources, and therefore not generally familiar. 

I. THE ORIGIN OF THE PENN FAMILY. 

The ancestry of William Penn, the Founder of Pennsyl- 
vania, has not been positively ascertained farther back than 

1 



2 The Family of William Penn. 

his great-great-grandfather, who bore the same name, and 
of whom I shall presently speak. But the evidence seems 
to me sufficient that his family was originally Welsh. The 
name itself is distinctly "Welsh, — a word of common use in 
that language : pen, a head or highland. When a name was 
to be assigned to his newly granted province, in 1681, he 
himself chose, he says, " New Wales," but the King gave it 
the name of Penn-sylvania, and the Secretary, Sir Leolin 
Jenkins,^ a Welshman, could not be prevailed on to change 
it. Mentioning this, Penn (in his well-known letter to 
Robert Turner, March 5, 1680-81) explains the meaning 
of his own name, it being, he says, " Welsh for a head, as 
Penmanmoire in Wales, Penrith in Cumberland, and Penn 
in Buckinghamshire," etc. 

The story in Watson is also well known, that the Reverend 
Huarh David came over with William Penn " about 1700" 
(on the " Canterbury," of course, in 1699, if the story is 
true), and that in conversation on the ship, Penn said, 
" Hugh, I am a Welshman myself," adding the explanation 
that one of his ancestors had come from Wales into 
England.^ 

^ Hepworth Dixon, in his " Life of Penn," refers to the Secretary with 
whom Penn discussed this subject, as Blathwayte, but it is obvious it 
was Jenkins. Cf. the record in the " Breviate of the Boundary Case," 
" Pennsylvania Archives," Second Series, Vol. XVI. p. 355. There is a 
good sketch of Sir Leolin (or Llewelyn) Jenkins in the " Dictionary of 
National Biography." 

* " Annals," Vol. I. p. 219. While the account ascribed to Hugh David 
is obviously incorrect as to the point of William Penn's grand/aiher 
being " named John Tudor," other details in it are not incredible, and 
some of them are supported by independent testimony. The Founder 
is reported as saying that his ancestor, John Tudor, " lived upon the top 
of a hill or mountain in Wales," and was generally called John Pen- 
munrith, or John on the top of the hill ; hence, ultimately, John Penn. 
This might have been. It is worth note that the Welsh Tudors, ancestors 
of Henry VII., are said to have come from Penrunydd, in Anglesea. 
And it is of record that Edward VI., grandson of Henry VII., in 1553 
made a grant of land to David Penn, in consideration of the services of 
his wife, Sybil Penn, who was the nurse of Henry VIII. 's children, 
a near association of the Penns with the royal Tudors being thus 
suggested. 



The Family of William Penn. 3 

The arms borne by "William Penn, the Founder, Argent, 
on a fesse Sable three plates, are the same as those of the 
Penns of Penn, in Buckinghamshire, according to the 
Heralds' Visitation of that county, 1575-1634. They are 
the same, also, as those of the Penne family of Shropshire, 
on the border of Wales, according to the Heralds' Visita- 
tion of that county, 1564-1620. This latter family, in a 
pedigree given in the Heralds' manuscript,^ extending over 
fifteen generations, begins with Sir William Penne, Knight, 
Lord of the Bryn (hill), who married Joan, daughter of 
Ririd Voel of Lodfoll, and follows with his sou, Sir Hugh 
Penne, Knight, who married Jane, daughter to Jer. Goch 
ap Bleddin ap Kinvan. The pedigree thus " bristles with 
Welsh names," and in the eighth generation from Sir Hugh, 
Richard Penne married Lowry, daughter of David Lloyd 
ap Sir Grifiith Vaughan, and Sionett Penne married levan 
ap Llewelyn ap Griifith, — all of which record, it need hardly 
be said, is thoroughly Welsh. 

Not only did the Penns of Penn, in Bucks, bear the 
same arms, Argent, on a fesse Sable three plates, as the Shrop- 
shire family and Penn the Founder, but they had among 
their family the names David and Griffith, distinctly Welsh. 
"How are we to account for the occurrence of these Welsh 
names in a family inhabiting a remote village in the heart 
of England, except by supposing it was of Wfelsh descent, 
and kept green the memory of its extraction ?" ^ 

An old manuscript, prepared in the middle of the seven- 
teenth century by a member of the Penn family of Wor- 
cestershire, and preserved by Mr. Grazebook, a well-known 
English authority on heraldry, describes the arms, Argent, 
on a fesse Sable three plates, as belonging to the " main stem 
of the Penn family," and says, — 

"As for our beginning I own it to proceed from the Britons, our 
estates lying amongst them, and in the Marches of the same, which 

^ Harleian MSS., British Museum, No. 1241, cited in Quakeriana, 
Loudon, October, 1894. The Bucks Visitation is Harleian MSS. No. 
1533. 

* Article in Quakeriana, already cited, October, 1894. 



4 The Family of William Penn. 

anciently belonged to Penn-house, before that it was divided and scat- 
tered by many branches into several counties." ' 

On the tomb of Sir William Penn, father of the Founder, 
it is stated that he was son of Giles Penn, " of the Penns of 
Penns-Lodge in the county of Wilts, and those Penns of 
Penn, in the County of Bucks," and this inscription, it is 
fair to presume, was made with adequate knowledge. The 
author of it was doubtless William Penn, the Founder.^ 
His intelligent acquaintance with his father's career, and 
devotion to his memory (shown afterwards in his " Vindi- 
cation"), his ability in composition, and his right as eldest 
son, heir, and executor, make it unlikely that the work 
would be intrusted to any other hands. ^ 

In the transcription of the monumental inscription to 
Admiral Penn, Mr. J. Henry Lea [Penna. Mag., Vol. XIV. 
p. 172) differs from all other authorities as to the language 
used in it, by omitting the words " and those Penns of Penn 
in the County of Bucks." These appear in the full inscrip- 
tion given in Granville Penn's " Memorials" of the Admiral, 
in Burke's " Commoners of England," and in Maria Webb's 
" Penns and Peningtons;" and Mr. W. H. Summers, author 
of the interesting and valuable " Memories of Jordans and 
the Chalfonts" (London, 1895), says, in a letter from Bea- 
consfield, October 3, 1895, to Quakeriana, London, — 

" When in Bristol a few weeks ago, I entered St. Mary RedclifFe 
Church and examined Admiral Penn's monument. It certainly is very 
difficult to decipher the inscription, but I was able, even without a glass, 
to read the disjjuted words ' and those Peiins of Penn in the County of 
Bucks: " 

^ Ibid. The " Marches" were the partly Welsh counties bordering on 
England, geographically and politically counted as part of England. 

' The expression on the tablet, that the Admiral, " With a gentle and 
Even Gale, in much peace, arrived and anchored in his Last and Best 
Port," strongly suggests the style of William Penn, the Founder. 

^ The Admiral's widow writes to her son (W. P., the Founder), Octo- 
ber 9, 1670, " The man is returned from Bristol, and set up his monu- 
ment very well," etc. (Foot-note to G. Penn's " Memorials," Vol. II. p. 
668.) 



The Family of William Penn. 5 

" Relation of kindred," says Granville Penn, in his " Me- 
morials" of the Admiral (Vol. II. p. 575), " was always mu- 
tually claimed and acknowledged between the family of Sir 
William Penn and the Penns of Penn in Bucks, now rep- 
resented by Earl Howe ; but the genealogical connection 
does not appear on record." It is also true — though the 
fact may be of no great significance — that at Penn, in 
Bucks, in the parish church, where the Penn family of that 
place are buried, Thomas Penn, of Stoke Pogis (sou of the 
Founder), constructed a large family vault, in which the 
remains of six of his children, who died in infancy, 1753- 
60, were deposited and now remain.^ 

From these several pieces of evidence it seems to me 
reasonable : (1) that the ancestry of William Penn was 
originally Welsh; (2) that families of the name in several 
southern and southwestern counties of Eno-land, bearino; the 
same arms, were of a common stock, derived from Wales ; 
(3) that the Penns of Wiltshire and Bucks were nearly 
related, and when the lines shall be traced will prove to be 
common ancestors of the Founder. 

II. ADMIRAL PENN'S PROGENITORS. 

Coming now from the probable to the certain, we begin 
the line of William Penn, the Founder, with his a^reat-o-reat- 
grandfather, who died 1591. Records from that date make 
it plain. This ancestor was "William Penn, of Myntie, in 
the County of Gloucester, Yeoman," whose wdll is recorded 
in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, and has been 
printed in full in the Penna. Magazine, by J. H. Lea (Vol. 
XIV. p. 58).2 

" Minte, Minety, or Minty," says Britton's description of 
Wiltshire (London, 1814), " is a large parish, principally sit- 
uated in a detached portion of the hundred of Crowthorne 
and Minety, which belongs politically to the County of 

' Letter of Rev. J. Grainger, M.A., vicar of Penn, to W. H. Sum- 
mers, cited in Quakeriana, Loudon, November, 1894. 
^ Also by Coleman (London, 1871) in his "Pedigree of Penn." 



iJT' 



6 The Family of William Penn. 

Gloucester, though completely environed by Wiltshire.' 
An earlier description (Atkyns's " Gloucestershire," pp. 
346, 358) says, " Minchy, now Minety, was always accounted 
a member of the manor of Cirencester, and gave the name 
to the hundred of Minety, now united to the hundred of 
Crowthorn ; it anciently was written the hundred of Ciren- 
cester. The parish church, the parsonage, the vicarage- 
house and a small hamlet called Wiltshire-row, lie in the 
hundred of Malmsbury, in Wiltshire ; the rest, and far the 
greater part of the parish, lies in the hundred of Crowthorn 
and Minety," in Gloucester. 

Penn's Lodge, Clarkson says ("Life of Penn," p. 1), was 
near Minety, " on the edge of Bradon Forest, in the north- 
west part of the county of Wilts, or rather in Gloucester- 
shire, a small part of the latter being enclosed in the former 
county." ^ Li Granville Penn's " Memorials" (Vol. IL p. 
375) there is a letter from John Georges, a barrister-at-law, 
M.P. for Cirencester (then a man of seventy-three), dated 
at "Bawnton, near Cicester," January 27, 1665-66, to Sir 
William Penn, in which he urges him to repurchase the 
ancestral place at Minety. In this letter Mr. Georges 
says,— 

" And now give me leave ... to revive a former notion to you : that 
. . . you would redeem unto your name and family the lands in Myntie, 
which were your ancestors', the Penns, for many generations, worth 
about 100^ per ann., with a genteel ancient house upon it. I have 
heretofore made an overture of this my desire to Mr. Nicholas Pleydell, 
the present owner of it, and never found him averse to part with 
it," etc. 

We fix, therefore, William Penn, of Minety, as a yeo- 
man, living at Penn's Lodge, a "genteel, ancient house," 
in Gloucestershire, adjoining Wiltshire. His will, dated 
May 1, 1590, shows that he had had one son, William, whose 

^ " A large tract of country lying to the south and southeast of Minty 
is still distinguished by the name of Bradon Forest, though it is now 
almost entirely denuded of trees, and a great part of it is enclosed for 
cultivation." (Britton's " Wiltshire," p. 633, London, 1814.) 



The Family of William Penn. 7 

wife's name was Margaret ; that William was dead at the 
time of making this will, but Margaret surviving, with six 
children, George (explicitly named as the eldest son), Giles, 
William, Marie, Sara, and Susanna.^ He directs that his 
" body be buried in the parish church, chancel, or church- 
yard of Minetie." It appears that it was so buried, and that 
a monumental stone in the chancel near the south door of 
the church bore the inscription, " William Penn dyed the 
12 of March in the year of our Lord 1591." The rector 
of Minety, Rev. Mr. Edwards, in 1890, reported that the 
stone had then — at the distance of three centuries — " quite 
disappeared."^ 

The yeoman of Minety, though a man of moderate estate, 
appears thus to have been a person of social distinction in his 
neighborhood, entitled to sepulture and a memorial tablet 
within the parish church. We pass now to his son William, 
who, as the will shows, had predeceased him. The will 
gives the name of the son's wife (Margaret) and the names 
of their six children (stated above), but discloses little more 
concerning him. But the letter, already partly cited, of the 
barrister Georges to Admiral Penn presents something 
further. He addresses the Admiral as "loving cousin," 
and claims a " share and interest" in him as one of his 
"kinsfolk and near allies," and in explanation says, — 

" And to the end that you and yours may be truly informed . . . how 
I make ray title to it, you may please to know that your grandfather, 

^ The record of Marriage Bonds in the Diocesan Registry Office at 
Salisbury shows the bond of Richard Cusse, of Wooton Bassett, in 
Wilts, August 2, 1633, to marry Susan Penn, of the parish of Brink- 
worth, spinster. Mr. Lea says she " is unquestionably the daughter of 
William and Margaret (Rastall) Penn, and the aunt of Admiral Penn;" 
if so, she was at least forty-three years old, as she is named in her grand- 
father's will, 1590. 

2 Cf. J. Henry Lea, Penna. 3fag., Vol. XIV. p. 57, foot-note. 
Clarkson, in his " Life of Penn," says, " A flat grave-stone, which per- 
petuates this event, is still remaining [he wrote about 1812]. It stands 
in the passage between two pews in the chancel. It states, however, 
only that he died on the 12th of March, 1591." 



8 The Family of William Penn. 

William Penn (whose name you bear) was by your great-grandfather 
(of the same name also) placed with my great uncle, Christopher 
Georges, then a counsellor-at-law, to be bred up by him, and with whom 
he lived many years as his chief clerk, till he married him to one of 
his sister Ann Georges' daughters by Mr. John Rastall, then one of the 
aldermen of Gloucester, ... By which pedigree it may appear to you 
that your father and myself were cousin-germans but once removed." ^ 

We pass now to the third generation. Of the six chil- 
dren of William, the law-clerk, we have little knowledge,'^ 
except as to Giles, the second son. He was " a captain in 
the navy, and for many years a consul for the English trade 
in the Mediterranean," Granville Penn says, and the Ad- 
miral's mural tablet uses nearly the same words. The 
" Calendar of English State Papers," in 1635-39, shows a 
long correspondence between Giles Penn and the govern- 
ment, in which he desires a commission to lead an expe- 
dition against the Sallee corsairs of Morocco, a commission 
which might or might not have been finally given him, 
except for the pressure of the then impending civil war. 
The Admiral's tablet says his mother, the wife of Giles, 
was of " the Gilberts in the County of Somerset, originally 
from Yorkshire," and the records of St. Mary Redcliff'e, 
Bristol, show the marriage of " Giles Penne and Joan Gil- 
beart," on the 5th of November, 1600. That this was our 
Captain Giles is fairly certain, and makes an alteration in 
the customary Penn pedigrees, which give the name of 
Giles's wife as Margaret.^ Granville Penn says, " Giles 
had two sons, between whose ages was a diiference of 

^ The list of lay subsidies for Wiltshire, 1587, has a reference to Wil- 
liam Penn, of Malmesbury Borough, who Mr. Lea thinks was the law- 
clerk, the son of the yeoman. 

^ Susan's marriage is probably noted (see foot-note preceding), and 
George, by an allusion in Admiral Penn's will, lived at Bradon Forest, 
Wilts (in succession to his grandfather), and had a son William. 

^ This error occurs in the Penn Pedigree, by Coleman (London, 1871). 
Coleman also has other errors: he confuses George Penn, uncle of the 
Admiral, with George, the Admiral's elder brother, and gives the year of 
William Penn of Minety's death as 1592 and his will 1591, — both dates 
a year too late. He says William the Founder " treated with the In- 



The Family of William Perm. 9 

twenty years." These two were George and William, the 
Admiral, and as the latter was born in 1621, it fixes George's 
birth as 1601, and corresponds appropriately with the date 
1600 as that of the parents' marriage. 

As to Giles Penn's children other than George and Wil- 
liam, the records of St. Mary Redclifife show the baptism 
of " Rachell daughter to Gyles Penne," February 24, 1607, 
and the death of "Eleanor the daughter of Mr. Giles 
Penne," i^ovember 24, 1612. Two daughters of Giles Penn 
must have grown up and married and had issue, or one 
have married twice, for Admiral Penn, in his w^ill, names 
his " nephews, James and John Bradshaw, and William 
and George Markham." He also names his " Cousin Wil- 
liam Penn, sou of George Penn late of the Forest of Bray- 
don, Co. Wilts, Gentleman, deceased," which indicates that 
his uncle Georg-e, named executor in the will of the veo- 
man of Minety, dwelt in Wiltshire and closed his life there. 
The nephew William Markham is of course well known 
to us, the first cousin of the Founder, and many years Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of Pennsylvania. 

George Penn, the elder son of Captain Giles and brother 
of the Admiral, was " brought up to commerce," Granville 
Penn says, "became an opulent merchant in Spain, and 
resided many years at Seville." But this is a scanty and 
somewhat vague outline of the experiences of George, 
which appear to have been romantic and unfortunate to a 
degree not here suggested. Mr. Conner, in his " Sir Wil- 
liam Penn, Knight," says that " the elder [son] having 
grown rich as a merchant in Spain, was pounced upon by 
the Inquisition as heretic and sinner. Torn from wife and 
fortune, tortured and expelled, he regained his native land 
but to die." This affords us a fuller idea of the case, and 
the whole story is given in documents and comments which 
Granville Penn prints in the " Memorials." There are, first, 
the minutes of the Committee of the Admiralty, at London, 

dians 1681 and 1682," he being in England the whole of 1681. He 
spells William Aubrey's name Anbury, and Gulielma he uniformly 
prints Gulima. 



10 The Family of William Penn. 

in the time of the Commonwealth, when Captain (afterwards 
Sir) William Penn was cruising on the coast of Ireland in 
the 30-gun frigate " Assurance." Thus, the minutes : 

" Jan. 12, 1646-7. — A Spanish gentleman, named Don Juan de Urbina, 
being taken by Captain Penn, on the coast of Munster, in a prize that 
came out of Waterford, did this day attend the Committee, (together with 
Sr. Bernardo, agent for the ambassador of his majesty of Spain . . .), 
and desire that he might be set at liberty, being a person of quality . . . 
he alleged that he came from Bilboa, was bound to Flanders, to be 
secretary to the governor thereof; that the ship wherein he was em- 
barked was cast away about Waterford in Ireland, at the end of June 
last. That he had been at Kilkenny, Ross, and other parts of Ireland. 
. . . That ... he had embarked himself for Bilboa in the St. Patrick 
of Waterford, which was after taken by Captain Penn, who did offer 
affronts to his person, stripping him naked, and putting him among the 
common mariners ; for which he therefore desired satisfaction and rep- 
aration in his honor," etc. 

The committee, after an examination into the case, de- 
cided that there was no reason for the Don's detention, and 
directed " that he be delivered to Mr. Bernardo," the agent 
for the Spanish ambassador. 

In Captain Penn's journal he had made this entry of the 
Don's capture : 

" 13th December, 1646, Sunday. — About eight of the clock in the 
morning we spied a sail, to whom we gave chase ; and about eleven we 
came up with her, and took her ; she belonging to Waterford, and was 
called the Patrick thereof, of burthen about 60 tons, laden with hides, 
salmon, and several other commodities, bound for Bilboa; and had in 
her about 8 Spaniards, passengers." 

No particular mention, however, is here made of the 
Don. Explanation of the case is plainly needed, and this 
Granville Penn, after these quotations, proceeds to supply. 
At the time, he says, that Captain Penn took the " St. Pat- 
rick," his brother George was a prisoner in the hands of the 
Spanish Inquisition, and had suffered the most cruel treat- 
ment ; the captain therefore regarded Don Juan " as a 
representative of the Spanish nation," and proposed " to 



The Family of William Penn. 11 

repay to him a mollified portion of the severities and in- 
dignities which his brother was suffering at Seville. But 
his object was not merely to make a Spaniard suiFer for his 
brother; it was to do an act that should speak home to the 
Spanish government, and provoke a public notoriety of the 
outrage for which he could obtain no other redress; and for 
that purpose he selected from amongst the captured Span- 
iards him who was of the highest quality to endure a vi- 
carious chastisement for his nation. He did not apprehend 
severity of censure from his employers, when the motive 
of his conduct should be fully exposed ; nor does any rec- 
ord of censure appear in the minutes of the Council. . . . 
Shortly after this event, George Penn was dismissed from 
the Inquisition ; and it is not unreasonable to assume, that 
XJrbina's report, on his return to Bilboa, of the fraternal 
retaliation exercised upon his person by Penn determined 
the liberation of the brother." ^ 

As to this last statement we must express some doubt. 
It seems unlikely that the Don was in such temper upon 
his return to Spain as to expedite the enlargement of the 
English heretic ; he would have been more likely to urge 
the inquisitors to give another turn to their screw. It 
appears, too, by the further documents which Granville 
Penn gives, that George Penn was finally discharged and 
sent out of Spain, and that this must have taken place — 
without apparent interference from outside influences — 
fully as soon as the time of the Don's liberation at London. 
In an appendix (C) to his first volume, Granville Penn 
prints George Penn's own account of himself and his 
troubles, drawn up for presentation to Cromwell. This 
describes the time of his arrest as in 1643, and the whole 
period of his detention as being three years, two months, 
and six days. It is obvious from this that his enlarge- 
ment could have been little if any later than the date of 
Don Juan's appearance before the Admiralty Committee, 
January 12, 1646-47. In his petition and statement to 

1 " Memorials," Vol. I. pp. 230-233. 



12 The Family of William Penn. 

the Protector, George Penn says that " after living many- 
years in Spain, that is to say, chiefly in Seville, Malaga, 
Cales, and Sanlucar, in credit and estate," he was appre- 
hended by officers of the Inquisition, at his house in San- 
lucar, in the year 1643. They first executed the ceremony 
of excommunication, "body and soul," then broke open 
all his rooms and warehouses, and seized his property, " to 
a nail in the wall," and confiscated all debts due him, 
found by his " books, writings and accounts." Then they 
took him to Seville, where he was placed in a " dungeon 
some eight feet in diameter, as dark as a grave," and left 
alone. An allowance of bread and water was given him 
every Monday, to last a week. Once a month he was tied 
to the dungeon-door and received fifty lashes with knotted 
whip-cords, fresh stripes usually arriving before the previous 
month's wounds had healed. All this lasted, he says, three 
years without any formal charge being made, " they intend- 
ing by it to make me be my own accuser;" finally he was 
accused before seven inquisitors and put upon the rack for 
four hours, when, the torture being beyond endurance, he 
confessed " all their false accusations" en bloc. The accusa- 
tions, he explains, were that he was "a most damnable 
heretic, by birth, breeding and perseverance," that he had 
married a woman of the Catholic faith, a Spanish subject, 
born in Antwerp, had endeavored to pervert her and her 
sisters, and had intended to take them to England, " a land 
which of all others in the world overfloweth with all sorts 
of most damnable heresies and disobedience to the see of 
Rome," etc. Finally, upon his abjuring the Protestant 
fiaith, a public procession was formed in Seville, he was 
taken to the church, and his otfences, confession, and sen- 
tence proclaimed " in the sight of thousands." His prop- 
erty was confiscated, — about ten thousa'nd pounds' value, 
he declares, — he was ordered to leave Spain within three 
months, on pain of death; he was sentenced to be burned 
if he should be again under arrest and found to have re- 
nounced the Roman faith; lastly, his wife was divorced 
from him, and she was ordered to be married to a Spaniard 



The Family of William Penn. 13 

" for her better safeguard from me and securing of her soul 
from my heretical suggestions." 

The dates of this transaction, including the condemnation 
in the church of Seville, are wanting, and we can only infer 
them, but it seems to me most probable that the whole of 
the business was known to the young sea-captain, the 
brother of George Penn, when he caught the little ship 
with its " 8 Spaniards" coming out of Waterford, in the 
winter of 1646, and that as he stripped and exposed the 
unhappy secretary of the governor of Flanders he was in- 
flicting a retaliatory blow, and not expecting to propitiate 
the Inquisition at Seville, or hoping to secure the good 
offices of the humiliated Don Juan. 

George Penn, at any rate, came back from Spain to Eng- 
land without his property, and presumably without his 
Flemish wife. He fortified his case with the deposition of 
twelve English traders who had known him in Spain, and 
who estimated his ow^n loss at six thousand pounds, and the 
property seized in his hands belonging to others at " near 
as much more." He applied, or prepared to do so, to the 
Protector (probably Richard Cromwell, not Oliver), and 
subsequently renewed his effort with Charles H. The latter, 
it appears, considered his case favorably, for a presentation 
of a claim for damages was made by his nephew, William 
Penn the Founder, to Queen Anne, during the negotiations 
for the Peace of Utrecht in 1712-13, and in it the statement 
is made that the king (evidently in 1668 or 1664), "out of 
compassion and justice to Mr. George Penn, appointed him 
envoy to reside at the King of Spain's court in order to and 
with commands that he should, insist upon satisfaction from 
that king for his sufferings, loss, and damage. But Mr. 
George Penn," the petition adds, " being then about sixty- 
three years of age, was prevented of going thither by his 
sudden death." ^ 

' Appendix C, No. 2, "Memorials" of Admiral Penn, I. 555. As to 
this petition, it is evident that it must have been prepared (if drawn by 
William Penn himself) very early in the negotiations for the Peace of 
Utrecht, for he had his apoplectic seizure July 24, 1712. 



14 The Family of William Penn. 

The veracious Samuel Pepys, in his Diary, says, August 
1, 1664 : " Last night I was waked with knocking at Sir W. 
Pen's door; and what was it but people's running up and 
down to bring him word that his brother, who hath been a 
good while, it seems, sick, is dead." This was obviously 
George Penn. 

TABLE OF ADMIRAL PENN'S DESCENT. 
1. — William Penn, of Minety, yeoman, d. 1591,= 



2. — William Penn, law-clerk, = Margaret Rastall. 

3. — (Six children, including) Giles Penn == Joan Gilbert. 

4. — George, b. 1601, William Four (?) daughters. 
d. 1664. (Admiral). 



III. ADMIRAL SIR WILLIAM PENN. 

Coming now to the Admiral, the great-grandson of the 
Yeoman, and father of the Founder, we may make selection 
among many personal details. Granville Penn, great-grand- 
son of the Admiral, has gathered into his two volumes 
(London, 1833) the materials of a Memorial of his ancestor 
at once dignified and honorable. Contending with all the 
gibes and slurs of Mr. Samuel Pepys's Diary, and compelled 
to extract from that rich storehouse of history and spite the al- 
lusions to Sir William, he accomplishes the task with credit. 
We shall, in a moment, cite some of Pepys's paragraphs 
bearing upon the Admiral's family life and personal quali- 
ties. Many of them lie enfolded each in its own layer of 
backbiting, but this the reader can perhaps allow for. We 
present now the monumental inscription to the Admiral, 
placed in the church of St. Mary Redcliffe, at Bristol, where 
his mother, Joan Gilbert, had been buried earlier, and where, 
in pursuance of his will, he was himself buried, with full 
ceremony, September 30, 1670.^ 

^ Cf. letter from R. Ellsworth, Bristol, to Captain Challoner, Laiicaster 
Herald, "Memorials," Vol. II. p. 567, describing the ceremony. 







^cp Aidmiral of JEiiglaTii<i 
4iitin{> flue Inlcrreg'i^um 
in !ljp \iei'tiirie.'> •p>lb(aifiipil 
owrlheDutckiiii M J5;^ ^- W,S1t; 
for "whipli lie was invpsied 
"wiith a Gold Cliaiii um'^ MedaL 
took Jamaica and was rhosen 



WIIMJAM IPlHilNnM", 

K' 

b.lfj21. A.MiJii. 



Meiiilber for Wpymoutlhi in 1655. 



Vice- Adinii-al of England 
in Ae Reign of KingCkarlesll; 
Great Captain Conrni.inder 
under ftieDnkpofYort in the 
Vielorv o^X aind over die Dntch in 
1665.roinmi rsiouer of Adi&A'Na^;\; 

&•<• . ^V . frc . 

choseit Member tbrWevmouftiiii l66o. 



The Family of William Penn. 15 

"We take the inscription as it is given by Granville Penn 
(Vol. 11. p. 580), as follows : 

To the just Memory of S'' WILL" PENN, Kt., and sometimes 

General! : Borne at Bristoll An. 1621 : Son of Captain Giles 

Penn, severall yeares Consul for y" English in y® Mediterranean ; 

of the Penns of Penns Lodge in y** County of 

Wilts, and those Penns of Penn in y* C. of Bucks ; and by 

his Mother from the Gilberts in y^ County of Somerset, 

Originally from Yorkshire: Addicted from his 

Youth to Maritime Affaires ; he was made Captain at 

the yeares of 21 ; Rear-Admiral of Ireland at 23 ; Vice- 

Admiral of Ireland at 25 ; Admiral to the Streights 

at 29; Vice- Admiral of England at 31, and General 

in the first Dutch Warres, at 32. Whence retiring, 

in A° 1655 he was chosen a Parliament man for the 

Town of Weymouth, 1660 ; made Commissioner of 

the Admiralty and Navy ; Governor of the Town and Fort 

of King-sail ; Vice-Admiral of Munster, and a Member of 

that Provincial Counseill ; and in Anno 1664, was 

chosen Great Captain Commander under his 

Eoyall Highnesse in y' Siguall and most 

evidently successful fight against the Dutch fleet. 

Thus, He took leave of the Sea, his old Element ; But 
continued still his other employs till 1669; at what 
time, through Bodely Infirmities (contracted by y* 
Care and fatigue of Publique Affairs), 

He withdrew. 

Prepared and made for his End ; and with a gentle and 
Even Gale, in much peace, arrived and anchored in his 
Last and Best Port, at Wanstead in y* County of Essex, 
y'' 16 Sept. 1670, Being then but 49 and 4 months old. 
To whose Name and merit his surviving Lady 
hath erected this remembrance.' 

The Admiral, it has already been said, was born at Bristol 
in 1621, twenty years later than his brother George. He 

^ This inscription, as stated in the main text, is here taken from Gran- 
ville Penn's " Memorials" of the Admiral. It is quite different (mainly 
by containing additional matter) from that given by J. Henry Lea in 
Penna. Mag. (Vol. XIV. p. 172), as to which Mr. Lea says he "be- 
lieves that the transcript [which he gives] is correct." It varies at 



16 The Family of William Penn. 

was " baptised in the church of St. Thomas the Apostle, in 
that city, on the 23d day of April," in that year. His father 
educated him " with great care, under his own eye, for the 
sea-service ; causing him to be well grounded in all its 
branches, practical and scientific, as is shown by sundry 
elementary and tabular documents, nautical journals, 
draughts of lands, observations and calculations, which still 
survive."^ He served with his father, as a boy, " in various 
mercantile voyages to the northern seas, and to the Mediter- 
ranean, became a lieutenant in the royal navy," and " thence- 
forth passed the whole of his active life" in that service, 
under the Parliament, the Protector, and the Restoration. 
He married " very early in life," says Granville Penn, 
and the biography of him by Professor J. K. Laughton, 
in the " National Dictionary of Biograph}-," says " about 
1639." If in that year, he was only eighteen years old. 
But Hepworth Dixon has called attention- to an entry in 
Pepys's Diary which seems to fix the date in 1643-44. It 
says,— 

"Jan 6, 1661-2. — To dinner at Sir W. Pen's, it being a solemn feast 
day with him, — his wedding day, and we liad, besides a good chine of 
beef and other good cheer, eighteen mince pies in a disli, the number of 
years that he hath been married." 

Subtracting the eighteen pies from the date of this feast 
would fix the marriage January 6, 1643-44 ; and as William 
Penn the Founder, who has always been described as the 

several points, but not any essential one, from that given in Maria 
Webb's "Penns and Peningtons." In the latter the spelling is uni- 
formly modernized : " King-sail," above, is contracted to " Kinsale ;" the 
first Dutch " warres" is made "war;" "whence retiring'" is made "re- 
turning /" it makes him chosen " Great Captain Commander" in 1665, 
not 1664, as above; the word "evidently," before "successful," is 
omitted ; " thus he took leave" becomes " then he took leave ;" at " what 
time" is made " at which time ;" the word " years" is inserted after " 49" 
(as the sense demands) ; " to whose name" is made " to his name;" and 
"merit" is made " wiewory." 

' Granville Penn, " Memorials," Vol. I. p. 2, 

' " Life of Penn," p. 16. 



The Family of William Penn. 17 

first child, was born October 14, 1644, this date thus re- 
ceives a reasonable confirmation. 

Captain Penn's wife was Margaret Jasper, of Rotterdam, 
daughter of John Jasper. And this is all that seems to be 
known of her family, though why our information is so 
meagre is not easily explained. John Jasper is generally 
described as a merchant, sometimes as an " opulent" one ; 
by one authority he is named a burgomaster, and the edi- 
tor of Lord Braybrooke's edition of Pepys calls him Sir 
John. As to his daughter, we have little knowledge, ex- 
cept the pictures coarsely drawn by Pepys. This one is 
well known : 

"Aug. 19, 1664. — To Sir W. Pen's, to see his lady the first time, who is 
a well-looked, fat, short old Dutchwoman, but one that has been hereto- 
fore pretty handsome, and is now very discreet, and I believe hath more 
wit than her husband. Here we stayed talking a good while, and very 
well pleased I was with the old woman." ^ 

The further allusions to Lady Penn by Pepys are not all 
in the same vein as this, though there are one or two that 
are not appropriate for reproduction. If we were forced to 
judge of her discretion, or even her wit, by his stories, we 
should hardly place them high, at least not from our stand- 
point of manners. The rompings and roisterings, the black- 
ing of faces and tumbling upon beds, which he describes, — 
how truly is a question, — do not sound nice, and it seems 
very evident that, after allowing for Pepys's own coarseness 
and habitual readiness to backbite, we must make a further 
large allowance for the times of the Restoration, within the 
influence of Charles II.'s court. A few passages from 
Pepys, alluding to Lady Penn, may be given ; she is men- 
tioned also in others, to be cited in a moment, relating 
more particularly to her husband and daughter : 

^ It appears rather odd that, as Pepys now records, this was his first 
sight of Lady Penn, for he had been closely associated with her husband 
for four years, and he records, earlier than this, numerous occasions when 
he and his wife were in company with Margaret, the daughter. What is 
still more odd is that he evidently did not see Lady Penn at her own 
house, at the time of the wedding-feast dinner, in 1661-62. 

2 



18 The Family of William Penn. 

" June 8, 1665. — . . . then to my Lady Pen's, where they are all 
joyed, and not a little puffed up at the good success of their father [in 
the naval battle with the Dutch, June 3] ; and good service indeed is 
said to have been done by him. Had a great bonfire at the gate. . . ." 

" June 6, 1666. — . . . And so home to our church, it being the com- 
mon Fast-day, and it was just before sermon; but . . . how all the 
people in the church stared upon me to see me whisper to Sir John 
Minnes and my Lady Pen." 

" June 11, 1666.— I with my Lady Pen and her daughter to see Harmon 
[Captain, afterwards Rear- Admiral, wounded in the naval battle] whom 
we found lame in bed.'' 

It would be pleasant to wash the ill taste of Pepys out of 
one's mouth with something better ; but, as has been said, 
there is little information available concerning Lady Penn 
from other sources. The high regard of William Penn the 
Founder for his mother is generally asserted. Clarkson 
says^ he had for her " the deepest filial affection. She had 
often interposed in his behalf when his father was angry 
with him for the dereliction of Church principles, and of 
the honors and fashions of the world, and she took him 
under her wing and supported him when he was turned out 
of doors for the same reason." In a letter written to a 
friend he speaks of " my sickness upon my mother's death." 
The biographical sketch prefixed to the collection of his 
" Select Works " says that at the time of his father's dis- 
pleasure at his adoption of Quaker views he was " thus 
exposed to the charity of his friends, having no other subsist- 
ence, except what his mother privately sent him." Lady 
Penn died at the end of February or beginning of March, 
1681-82, and was buried on the 4th of March, at Waltham- 
stow, in Essex. 

The will of Admiral Penn is printed nearly in full in 
Granville Penn's " Memorials," and an abstract of it is 
given in the Pennsylvania Magazine, Vol. XVI. It is dated 
January 20, 1669, and was proved October 6, 1670. He 
mentions in it his wife, Dame Margaret Penn ; son William 
Penn ; younger son Richard Penn ; daughter Margaret, wife 
of Anthony Lowther ; and the nephews Bradshaw and Mark- 

1 " Life of Penn," p. 109. 



The Family of William Penn. 19 

ham, and cousin William Penn, previously referred to in 
these notes. He directs that the monument in the church 
at Bristol shall be for himself and his mother, but Mr. J. 
H. Lea says (1890) that, upon a visit there, he " found no 
trace " of any such memorial to the mother ; probably none 
was erected. 

The Admiral's public career cannot here be described. 
The abstract on the church tablet will sufficiently serve. 
His marriage has been mentioned. Some notices of him 
by Pepys may be here introduced ; he is alluded to in the 
Diary many scores of times between 1660 and 1669 : 

" Sept. 8, 1660. — Drinking a glass of wine late, and discoursing with. 
Sir W. Pen. I find him to be a very sociable man, and an able man, 
and very cunning." 

" Nov. 1, 1660. — This morning Sir W. Pen and 1 were mounted early, 
[to ride to Sir William Batten's] and had very merry discourse all the 
way, he being very good company." 

^'^ April 18,1661. — . . . Then, it raining hard, homewards again, [from 
visiting Lady Sandwich, at Walthamstow] and in our way met with two 
country fellows upon one horse, which I did, without much ado, give the 
way to, but Sir W, Pen would not, but struck them, and they him, and 
so passed away, but they, giving him some high words, he went back 
again, and struck them off their horse, in a simple fury, and without 
much honor, in my mind, and so come away." 

These allusions have the air of truth. But the key-note 
of Pepys's dislike for Sir William appears in an entry in the 
summer of 1662. It seems that Pepys was interfered with 
in his enjoyment of some of the " pickings" of the office. 
His ffreediness could ill brook that : 



»■ 



" June 3, 1662. — ... At the office, and Mr. Coventry brought his 
patent and took his place with us this morning. Upon our making a 
contract, I went, as I use to do, to draw the heads thereof, but Sir W. 
Pen most basely told me that the Comptroller is to do it, and so begun 
to employ Mr. Turner about it, at which I was much vexed, and begun 
to dispute ; and what with the letter of the Duke's orders, and Mr. Bar- 
low's letter, and the practice of our predecessors, which Sir G. Carteret 
knew best when he was Comptroller, it was ruled for me. What Sir J. 
Minnes will do, when he comes, I knowe not, but Sir W. Pen did it like 
a base raskall, and so I shall remember him while I live." 



20 The Family of William Penn. 

Probably this threat, entered in heat in Pepys's secret 
cipher, was actually kept. His malice is shown many times. 
Thus: 

"July 5, 1662. — At noon had Sir W. Pen, who I hate with all my 
heart for his base treacherous tricks, but yet I think it not policy to de- 
clare it yet, and his son William, to my house to dinner . . ." 

" July 9, 1662. — Sir W. Pen came to my office to take his leave of me, 
and, desiring a turn in the garden, did commit the care of his building 
to me, and offered all his services to me in all matters of mine. I did, 
God forgive me ! promise him all my services and love, though the rogue 
knows he deserves none from me, nor do I intend to show him any ; but 
as he dissembles with me so must I with him." 

" July 1,1666. — (Lord's day.) Comes Sir W. Pen to town, which I 
little expected, having invited my Lady and her daughter Pegg to dine 
with me to-day ; which at noon they did, and Sir W. Pen with them ; 
and pretty merry we were. And though I do not love him, yet I find it 
neccessary to keep in with him ; his good service at Shearnesse, in get- 
ting out the fleete, being much taken notice of, and reported to the King 
and Duke ; . . • therefore, I think it is discretion, great and necessary 
discretion, to keep in with him." 

"Feb. 21, 1666-7. — To the office, where sat all the morning, and there 
a most furious conflict between Sir W. Pen and I, in few words, and on 
a sudden occasion, of no great moment, but very bitter and smart on one 
another, and so broke off, and to our business, my heart as full of spite 
as it could hold, for which God forgive me and him." 

"April 20, 1668. — Meeting with Sir William Hooker, the Alderman, 
he did cry out mighty high against Sir W. Pen for his getting such an 
estate, and giving £15,000 with his daughter, which is more, by half, 
than ever he did give ; but this the world believes, and so let them." 

A few other allusions, rather less unpleasing than these, 
may be added. The last, in June, 1668, approaches the end 
of the Admiral's active career. 

"April 18, 1666. — To Mr. Lilly's, the painter's [Lely, afterwards Sir 
Peter] ; and there saw the heads, some finished, and all begun, of the 
Flaggmen in the late great fight with the Duke of York against the 
Dutch. The Duke of York hath them done to hang in his chamber, and 
very finely they are done indeed. Here are the Prince's [etc.] and will 
be my Lord Sandwich's, Sir W. Pen's" [etc.]. 

"July 4, 1666. — ... In the evening Sir W. Pen came to me, and we 
walked together, and talked of the late fight. I find him very plain 
that the whole conduct of the late fight was ill" [etc., explaining at 
length its character, and his view of a proper system of naval attackl. 



The Family of William Penn. 21 

" May 27, 1668.— To see Sir W. Pen, whom I find still very ill of the 
gout, sitting in hia great chair, made on purpose for persons sick of that 
disease, for their ease ; and this very chair, he tells me was made for my 
Lady Lambert" [wife of General Lambert, the Parliamentary com- 
mauderj. " June 4.— ... and besides my Lord Brouncker is at this 
time ill, and Sir W. Pen." "June i7.— Saw Sir W. Pen, who is well 
again." 

Admiral Penn had three children : William the Founder, 
Richard, and Margaret. By the will of the Admiral, Richard 
was to have had one hundred and twenty pounds a year 
until he was twenty-one, and then four thousand pounds, 
but he survived his father only three years. He died 
in April, 1673, and was buried at Walthamstow. There 
is a letter in Granville Penn's " Memorials" (pp. 559-60), 
addressed to " the Hon. Sir W. Penn, Knt., etc., at his house 
at Wanstead, near London," dated at Livorno (Italy), June 
2, 1670, from William Poole, commanding the ship " Jer- 
sey," to which letter there is this postscript : 

"My cousin, Richard Penn, is very well, and goes to 
Florence with Sir Thomas Clutterbuck, to wait on the am- 
bassador." ^ 

This Richard Penn, Granville Penn says (" Memorials," 
foot-note, p. 560), was the younger son of whom we are 
speaking. It would seem that he had been on the " Jersey" 
with Captain Poole, and it is probable that he was designed 
by his fiither to be a seaman. Pepys makes one allusion to 
Richard, and not unkindly : 

" Feb. 14, 1664-5.— This morning betimes comes Dicke Pen to be my 
wife's Valentine, and came to our bedside. By the same token, I had 
him brought to my side, thinking to make him kiss me, but he perceived 
me, and would not ; so went to his Valentine : a notable stout, witty 
boy." 

Margaret Penn, the daughter, married Anthony Lowther, 
of Mask (or Marske) in Yorkshire. She is mentioned many 

1 Sir William Poole and Sir Richard Eooth, commanders in the Eng- 
lish navy, were both, as it seems from allusions in Granville Penn's 
" Memorials," kinsmen, perhaps cousins in some degree, of Admiral 
Penn. 



22 The Family of William Penn. 

times by Pepj^s, and often offensively. His dislike for her 
father he apparently conferred also upon her. Her husband 
is referred to more favorably. It would appear that he was 
a man of good character as well as good estate. In William 
Penn's " No Cross, no Crown," he quotes the dying expres- 
sions of " Anthony Lowther, of Mask, a person of good 
sense, of a sweet temper, a just mind, and of a sober edu- 
cation," w^hom I presume to have been the father of Mar- 
garet's husband. I cite here some of the earlier allusions 
of Pepys to Margaret Penn : 

" July S8, 1661. — To church, and then came honoie with us Sir W. Pen, 
and drank with us, and then went away, and my wife after him, to see 
his daughter that is lately come out of Ireland ; and whereas I expected 
she should have been a great beauty, she is a very plain girl." 

" Oct. 6, 1661.— To church . . . There was also . . . Mrs. Margaret 
Pen, this day come to church, in a new flowered satin suit, that my wife 
helped her to buy the other day." 

"Dec. 11, 1661. — My wife by coach to Clerkenwell, to see Mrs. Mar- 
garet Pen, who is at school there." 

Margaret's school days appear to have been over by 1664, 
for then she seems to have devoted herself to fashionable 
occupations, and to have taken lessons in painting at her 
home. Pepys has these entries, — the last one character- 
istically spiteful : 

" Nov. 20, 1661}. — Up and with ray wife to church, where Pegg Pen 
very fine in her new colored silk suit, laced with silver lace." 

"Jan. 13, 1664-5.— To my Lady Batten's, where I find Pegg Pen, the 
first time that ever I saw her to wear spots." 

" Aug. 7, 1665. — Talking with Mrs. Pegg Pen, and looking over her 
pictures, and commended them ; but ... so far short of my wife's as no 
comparison ! " 

" Sept. 3, 1665. — I took my Lady Pen home, and her daughter Pegg ; 
and after dinner I made my wife show them her pictures, which did mad 
Pegg Pen, who learns of the same man." 

The appearance of Mr. Lowther on the scene is recorded 
by Pepys : 

" Jan. 11, 1665-6. — At noon to dinner all of us by invitation to Sir W. 
Pen's, and much company. Among others . . . his . . . [prospective] 
son-in-law Lowther, servant to Mrs. Margaret Pen." 



The Family of William Penn. 23 

" April 12, 1666.— Mj Lady Pen comes to me, and takes me into her 
house, where I find her daughter and a pretty lady of her acquaintance, 
one Mrs. Lowther, sister, I suppose, of her servant Lowther's. . . . Mrs. 
Margaret Pen grows mighty homely, and looks old." 

" Jan. 4, 1666-7.— Comes our company to dinner ; my Lord Brouncker, 
Sir W. Pen, his lady, and Pegg, and her servant Mr. Lowther. . . . Mr. 
Lowther a pretty gentleman, too good for Pegg." 

The marriage seems to have been very quiet and deco- 
rous, and thus, sad to say, gave great offence to the virtuous 
Pepys : 

" Feb. 14, 1666-7.— Fegg Pen is married this day privately ; no friends, 
but two or three relations of his and hers. Borrowed many things of my 
kitchen for dressing their dinner. This wedding private is imputed to 
its being just before Lent, and so in vain to make new clothes till Easter, 
that they might see the fashions as they are like to be this summer ; 
which is reason good enough. Mrs. Turner tells me she hears Sir W. 
Pen gives £4500 or £4000 with her." ^ 

" Feb. 20, 1666-7.— To White Hall, by the way observing Sir W. Pen's 
carrying a favor to Sir W. Coventry, for his daughter's wedding, and 
saying there was others for us, when we will fetch them, which vexed 
me, and I am resolved not to wear it when he orders me one. His wed- 
ding hath been so poorly kept that I am ashamed of it ; for a fellow that 
makes such a flutter as he does." 

"Feb. 22, 1666-7.— AW of us, that is to say my Lord Brouncker, J. 
Minnes, W. Batten, T. Harvy, and myself, to Sir Pen's house, where 
some other company. It is instead of a wedding dinner for his 
daughter, whom I saw in palterly clothes, nothing new but a bracelet 
that her servant [now her husband] had given her, and ugly she is as 
heart can wish. A sorry dinner, not anything handsome or clean, but 
some silver plates they had borrowed of me. My wife was here too. 
We had favors given us all, and we put them in our hats, I against my 
will, but that my Lord and the rest did." 

" Feb. 27, 1666-7.— To Sir W. Pen's, and sat with my Lady, and the 
young couple (Sir William out of town) talking merrily ; but they make 
a very sorry couple, methinks, though rich." 

And not only did the marriage, the later dinner, and eke 
the wedding favors dissatisfy the diarist, but he was further 
offended by the fineness of her coach, and what he regarded 

^ See the reference by Pepys, April 20, 1668, to the report which greatly 
exaggerated this sum. 



24 The Family of William Penn. 

as the inadequacy of her wardrobe ; while later he was dis- 
gusted at seeing her train borne by a page : 

" 3fai/ 1, ieer.— Thence [the King's playhouse] Sir W. Pen and I in 
his coach, Tiburne way, into the Park, where a horrid dust and a num- 
ber of coaches, . . . But that which I did see and wonder at with reason 
was to find Pegg Pen in a new coach, with only her husband's pretty 
sister [Margaret Lowther, afterwards the wife of Sir John Holmes] with 
her, both patched and very fine, and in much the finest coach in the 
park, and I think that ever I did see one or other, for neatness and rich- 
ness in gold and everything that is noble . . . but to live in the condi- 
tion they do at home and be abroad in this coach astonishes me . . . 
then home ; where we find the two young ladies come home and their 
patches off; I suppose Sir W. Pen do not allow of them in his sight. 
Sir W. Pen did give me an account of his design of buying Sir R. Brooke's 
fine house at Wansted" [etc. The purchase was not made]. 

" June 28, 1667.— To Sir W, Batten's, to see how he did. ... He told 
me how Mrs. Lowther had her train held up by a page, at his house in 
the country ; which is ridiculous." 

" July IJf, (Lord's day.) — . . . and so towards Epsom [in a coach and 
four, Pepys, his wife, and Mrs. Turner] talking all tlie way presently and 
particularly of the pride and ignorance of Mrs. Lowther, in having of 
her train carried up." 

" Sept. 11, 1667. — Come to dine with me Sir W. Batten and his lady, 
. . . and Sir W. Pen and his lady, and Mrs. Lowther, who is grown, 
either through pride or want of manners, a fool, having not a word to 
say ; and, as a further mark of a beggarly, proud fool, hath a bracelet of 
diamonds and rubies about her wrist, and a sixpenny necklace about her 
neck, and not one good rag of clothes upon her back." 

Anthony and Margaret Lowther had issue. The birth of 
their first child, a girl, is noted by Pepys as occurring Feb- 
ruary 8, 1667-68, and he reviles "Pegg," as usual ; this time 
for the smallness of the company at the christening. Cole- 
man's " Pedigree" names two children, Sir William Lowther, 
who married Catherine Preston, and JVIargaret Lowther, who 
married Benjamin Poole. Anthony Lowther was M.P. for 
Appleby in 1678 and 1679. He died in 1692, and was buried 
at Walthamstow, JVIargaret survived him many years. 
She is named in the will of her brother, William Penn the 
Founder, made in 1712, as one of the trustees to dispose of 
his proprietary rights in Pennsylvania. She died in 1718, 



The Family of William Penn. 25 

and was buried, Granville Penn notes, at Walthamstow.^ 
Anthony and Margaret's son William was created a baronet 
in 1697. In the next generation Sir Thomas Lowther, 
Bart., of Holker, in Lancashire, married Lady Elizabeth, 
daughter of the Duke of Devonshire, and their son Wil- 
liam dying unmarried in 1756, the baronetcy became ex- 
tinct, and the Lowther property passed to the Cavendish 
family, — "the noble house of Cavendish," as Granville 
Penn, considerate always of aristocratic proprieties, is 
careful to say. 

What property, if any. Admiral Penn received from his 
father. Captain Giles, is unknown. But in 1654, as he was 
preparing for the famous West India expedition with Vena- 
bles, he prevailed upon Cromwell to make him a grant of 
forfeited lands in Ireland. An order of the Protector, dated 
December 4, 1654, is given in full in Granville Penn's 
"Memorials," Vol. I. p. 19. It is addressed to the Lord 
Deputy and Council in Ireland, and directs "that lands of 
the value of £300 a year, in Ireland, as they were let in the 
year 1640, be settled on General Penn and his heirs," to be 
located in some place " where there is a castle or convenient 
house for habitation upon them, and near to some town or 
garrison." The grant was partly made " in consideration of 
the great losses sustained by General Pen and his wife by 
the rebellion in Ireland," and in the minute of Council upon 
which the Protector's order was based it is recited that the 
favor is extended " in consideration of his suiFerings in an 
estate of his wife's in Ireland." What estate she had, if any, 
or where it was situated, or how acquired, must remain, 
I presume, uncertain. But the grant made by Oliver to 
his sea-commander is readily identified. It lay in County 

1 A letter from Hannah Penn, 9th of Third month (May), 1720, "to 
Eebecca Blackfan, at Pennsbury, or elsewhere in Pennsylvania," says, 
"I find several of my Letters to thee and others have miscarried, and 
therefore know not whether thou had acc't of ye Death of my dear 
Sister Lowther, who Died of a Lingering Fever & gradual decay about 
5 months after her dear Brother,"— i.e., in 1718, five months later than 
the Founder.— Tl/SSl in Collection Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 



26 The Family of William Penn. 

Cork, " the castle and estate of Macromp," and " had been 
the ancient possession of Macarthy,Lord Muskerry," against 
whom Penn had been fighting a few years earlier (1646), 
Muskerry being then the commander of the royal (and 
Koman Catholic) forces in Ireland. Some other property 
in County Cork the Admiral seems to have bought, in 1657, 
of Lord Broghill, and in a letter to Henry Cromwell, Lord 
Deputy for Ireland, dated at Macromp, 9th November, 1657, 
Penn speaks of his property " in Macromp and Killcrea." 

In Ireland, at Macromp, it would appear he spent much, 
if not most, of his time between 1655, when he was released 
from his confinement in the Tower, after the return from 
Jamaica, and 1660, when he was among the company that 
repaired to Holland to bring the king back to England. 
Meantime Lord Muskerry had become, in 1658, by the 
king's favor, Earl of Clancarty, and at the Restoration he 
naturally lost no time in claiming of his royal master the 
restitution of the lands taken from him by the Protector. A 
document printed by Granville Penn, in his " Memorials," ^ 
states that " Sir William Penn, upon the king's ordering 
the Earl of Clancarty to be immediately possessed of his 
ancient estate, did surrender the castle, town, and manor of 
Macromp, being a garrison wherein was constantly and con- 
veniently quartered a foot company and a troop of horse ; 
with many thousand acres of land contiguous ; and the 
castle, town, and manor of Killcreagh, with several lands 
thereunto belonging, the whole amounting to £848 per 
annum, [etc.] unto the said Earl of Clancarty." In lieu of 
this surrendered property the king gave the Admiral some 
other " forfeited lands . . . in Imokilly; ^ namely Rostillon, 
Shangarry, and Inchy, with the lands joining thereunto." 
This gift the Admiral was able to hold, though he had to 
contend for it, in the courts and elsewhere, for several 
years, — at least as late as 1666, — the favor of the king being 
of importance to him at more than one juncture. The 
property was in County Cork, and yielded then, it appears, 

1 Appendix N, Vol. II. p. 617. 

■^ This is elsewhere referred to, in a letter of the Admiral, as Eniskelly. 



The Family of William Penn. 27 

about one thousand pounds a year. Shangarry, in course of 
time, became familiar as one of the places with which the 
Penn name is most intimately associated. 

In London the Admiral had his home, during most of 
the last ten years of his life (1660-70), the period of his ser- 
vice as Commissioner, etc., of the navy, in one of the houses 
attached to the Navy Office, provided as an official residence. 
It was here that he was the near neighbor of Pepys, who 
also had an official house. Gibson, an old seaman who had 
served under the Admiral, and who wrote to William Penn 
the Founder in March, 1711-12, giving him reminiscences 
of his father, says,^ "I remember your honour very well, 
when you newly came out of France, and wore pantaloon 
breeches, at which time your late honoured father dwelt in 
the Navy Office, in that apartment the Lord Viscount 
Brouncker died in afterwards, which was on the north part 
of the Navy Office garden." And in the same letter Gib- 
son says, " Your late honoured father was appointed gen- 
eral of the fleet, in 1655, to take St. Domingo; at which 
time he dwelt upon Great Tower-hill, on the east side, 
within a court adjoining to London-wall. And he frequently 
came upon the hill next his dwelling, to be applied to by 
persons under the degree of commanders. One day of 
which, I was presented to your late honoured father by my 
late master Mr. John Carter, purser of the Assurance when 
your late honoured father commanded her," etc. 

Pepys makes many allusions to the contiguity of his resi- 
dence at the Navy Office with that of the Penns. The 
enlargement, under official authority, of their houses is 
repeatedly referred to, and an allusion to it may be noted 
in the paragraph, July 9, 1662, already cited, where, walk- 
ing in the garden with Penn, " the care of his building" was 
considered. At the time of the Great Fire of London, in 
September, 1666, Pepys records that he and Sir William 
" did dig another [pit in the garden] and did put our wine 
in it, and I my Parmesan cheese," etc. And on two or three 



1 (( 



Memorials," Appendix M, Vol. II. p. 612. 



28 The Family of William Penn. 

nights at this time, distressed and alarmed by the fire, he 
slept in the Admiral's house. It was at the house on Great 
Tower Hill, described by Gibson as occupied by the Admiral 
in 1655, that William Penn the Founder is presumed to 
have been born, in 1644. 

The portrait of the Admiral, painted by Lely for the Duke 
of York, as recorded by Pepys (April 18, 1666), is now in 
the hospital at Greenwich. A copy of it forms the frontis- 
piece to Granville Penn's " Memorials." There has been 
in recent years a portrait found at Blackwell Grange, in 
Durham, which has been thought by some to be that of 
William Penn the Founder, and a copy of it has been 
placed, under that supposition, in the National Museum col- 
lection in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. This, says the 
biographer of the Admiral in the " National Dictionary of 
Biography," Mr. J. M. Rigg, " is really the portrait of the 
Admiral." I have myself no doubt that Mr. Rigg is correct 
in this statement. The gold chain voted the Admiral by 
the Naval Council, in August, 1653, remains in the family 
of his descendants. In the Admiral's will he devised to his 
son William " my gold chain and medal, with the rest and 
residue of all my plate," etc. Of his personal appearance, 
the old seaman Gibson says, in the letter before cited, 
" Your late honoured father was fair-haired ; of a comely 
round visage; a mild spoken man ; no scoffer, nor flatterer ; 
easy of access, so as no man went away from him discon- 
tented." 

The Admiral's " letters to his son in Ireland," says Gran- 
ville Penn, " of which many remain, are almost wholly filled 
with instructions respecting his estates; yet among these 
some few passages occur which tend to show his mind and 
disposition. ... I have now by me letters he [the son] re- 
ceived from his father in the years 1666, '67, '68, and '69, in 
all which I find but one passage expressive of offence." 
This (October 6, 1669) evidently refers to the son's adoption 
of the views of the Friends and his renunciation of a courtly 
career. 

The " dying words" of the Admiral are familiar, being 



The Family of William Penn. 29 

quoted bj many writers. They come from William Perm 
the Fomider's "No Cross, No Crown," originally written in 
1668, while the Bishop of London had him imprisoned in 
the Tower for his tract, " The Sandy Foundation Shaken," 
these portions being added in the second edition, published 
in 1681. They are of permanent interest in this connection, 
as showing the Admiral's reflections upon reviewing his 
career. " My father," says the son, " not long before his 
death, spoke to me in this manner : 

" ' Son William, I am weary of the world ; I would not 
live over my days again, if I could command them with a 
wish; for the snares of life are greater than the fear of 
death. This troubles me, that I have offended a gracious 
God, that hath followed me to this day. Oh, have a care of 
sin ; that is the sting both of life and of death. Three things 
I commend unto you : First, let nothing in this world tempt 
you to wrong your conscience ; so you will keep peace at 
home, which will be a feast to you in a day of trouble. 
Secondly, whatever you design to do, lay it justly, and time 
it seasonably, for that gives security and dispatch. Lastly, 
be not troubled at disappointments ; for, if they may be re- 
covered, do it ; if they can't, trouble is vain. If you could 
not have helped it, be content; there is often peace and 
profit in submitting to Providence, for afflictions make 
wise. If you could have helped it, let not your trouble ex- 
ceed your instruction for another time. These rules will 
carry you, with firmness and comfort, through this uncer- 
tain world. . . .' 

" Wearied to live, as well as near to die, he took his leave 
of us ; and of me, with this expression, and a most composed 
countenance: 'Son William, if you and your friends keep 
to your plain way of preaching, and keep to your plain way 
of living, you will make an end of the priests to the end of 
the world. Bury me by my mother : live all in love ; shun 
all manner of evil ; and I pray God to bless you all, and he 
will bless you.' " 



30 The Family of William Penn. 

IV. WILLIAM PENN: CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. 

The Founder of Pennsylvania, the son of Captahi, after- 
wards Admiral, "William Penn, was born in London on the 
14th of October, 1644. 

Captain Penn had just been appointed to the command 
of the " Fellowship," in the navy controlled by the Par- 
liament. The extracts from his journal of his cruise in 
this ship, printed by Granville Penn in his " Memorials" of 
Admiral Penn, show that on Saturday, the 12th of October, 
he being on board, the ship, which had been lying in the 
Thames, left Deptford at six o'clock a.m. and dropped 
down the river. But the next entry is not made until the 
4th of November, when she weighed anchor " and came 
into the Downs." The common, and no doubt a fair, pre- 
sumption has been that she was delayed on her voyage to 
the Irish coast — where she subsequently took part in the 
operations against the royalists — by the stay of Captain 
Penn on shore, on account of the birth of his son, on the 
Monday following the start from Deptford. 

It has been assumed by biographers of Penn ^ that Cap- 
tain Penn, in October, 1644, at the time of the birth of his 
son, was living in the house described by the seaman Gibson 
(already cited) as the Admiral's residence in 1655, " upon 
Great Tower-hill." This may be correct, but there is nar- 
row ground for the assumption. In the fourteen years that 
intervened Captain Penn was much of the time at sea, and 
his family were living elsewhere. That the same house 
would be occupied in 1644 and in 1655 is at least doubtful, 
and in the absence of fuller knowledge the assumption ap- 
pears excessive. 

The biographical sketch of Penn prefixed to his " Select 
"Works" says he " was born in the parish called St. Kath- 
erine's, near the Tower of London." The baptism register 
of the Church of Allhallows, Barking (London), contains 
this entry : 

^ Dr. Stoughton, in his " William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania," 
London, 1882, and perhaps others. 



The Family of William Penn. 31 

" 1644, October 23. William, son of William Penn, and 
Mar^arett his wife, of the Tower Liberty." 

Allhallows, Barking, is an interesting old church at the 
east end of Great Tower Street, in the ward of that name, 
dedicated to Allhallows and St. Mary, and said to be " the 
most complete mediaeval church remaining in London." 
Its distinguishing title. Barking (for there are several All- 
hallows churches in London), is derived from the fact that 
its vicarage originally belonged to that of Barking, outside 
the city, in Essex.^ 

The "Fellowship" having sailed, Margaret Penn pres- 
ently went with her child to Wanstead, in Essex, in the 
suburbs of London, and that place, down to the time of the 
Admiral's death there in 1670, becomes prominent in the 
family history. In what house they stayed at Wanstead 
does not appear, but a misconception of Captain Penn's 
worldly condition has led some of the biographers of his 
son to say that they resided at Wanstead, in " one of the 
country seats" belonging to the captain. This is, of course, 
simply imaginative. Unless we are grossly misinformed 
concerning him, Captain Penn's circumstances at that time 
did not permit him the ownership of either town house or 
country-seat. 

Wanstead is close by Chigwell. At the latter place 
there were free schools, founded in 1629 by Harsnet, 
Archbishop of York.^ To these young William Penn was 

1 The Great Fire of London, September, 1666, was stopped at this 
point, at the church, its dial and porch being burned. 

Pepys: September 5, 1666.—" ... I find by the blowing up of houses, 
and the greate helpe given by the workmen out of the King's yards, sent 
up by Sir W. Pen, there is a good stop given to it [the Great Fire] as 
well at Marke-lane end as ours; it having only burned the dyall of 
Barking Church, and part of the porch, and there quenched. I up to 
the top of Barking steeple, and there saw the saddest sight of desola- 
tion that I ever saw. . . ." 

John Quincy Adams was married in this church (July 26, 1797). 
Many of the state prisoners executed on Tower Hill were buried there. 

=* Samuel Harsnet (1561-1631), vicar of Chigwell from 1597 to 1605, 
a pluralist of considerable scope, a vigorous polemic, inclined to high 
church, and charged with "papistical," views, was made archbishop 



32 The Family of William Penn. 

sent. One of them was for instruction in English, the 
other a Latin school. The quaint and strictly framed rules 
of the archbishop's foundation give us a clue to the boy's 
education. Those of the school "for teaching the Greek 
and Latin tongues" required that the master should be " a 
good poet; of a sound religion, neither papal nor puritan; 
of a grave behavior ; of a sober and honest conversation ; 
no tipler or haunter of alehouses ; no puffer of tobacco ; 
and above all, apt to teach, and severe in his government." 
Waiving controversy upon the religious clause, it cannot be 
said but that these exacting specifications were likely to 
give a pronounced character to the school, and probably 
secure a teacher of some ability. It was directed also by 
the archbishop that the text-books in the higher school 
should be " Lilly's Latin and Cleonard's Greek grammar," 
that, for " phrase and style," the scholars should read " no 
other than Tully and Terence," that for poetry they should 
have " the ancient Greek and Latin, no novelties, nor con- 
ceited modern writers." As to the teacher of the English 
school, it was required that he write " fair secretary and 
Roman hands," " that he be skillful in ciphering and cast- 
ing of accounts, and that he teach his scholars the same 
faculty." ^ 

These schools at Chigweli the lad attended, it is said, 
until he was twelve years old.^ That he acquired a good 
knowledge of Latin there is fairly certain, and as to Greek, 
the foundation of his acquaintance with it may also have 
been laid in this period. His writings in later time show 
him to have been a fair Greek scholar, and his copy of 
the Greek Testament was sold at auction in London in 
1872. 

Without intending to speak minutely of any part of 

under Charles I., 1629, owing his elevation, it is said, to Thomas Howard, 
Earl of Arundel. He was buried in the parish church at Chigweli, at 
the feet of his wife, in a tomb in the chancel floor, and there is a " fine 
brass," after a design of his own, in his memory, on the wall. 

1 Lyson's (Rev. Daniel) " Environs of London," 1796, Vol. IV. p. 128. 

^ Clarkson, p. 3. Stoughton speaks of his life at Wanstead " for about 
eleven years." 



The Family of William Penn. 33 

Perm's life, it seems proper to dwell a moment at this point 
on the surroundings of these early years, while living at 
Wanstead and attending the Chigwell schools. Dr. Stough- 
ton devotes some pages to an intelligent and suggestive 
sketch of them, pointing out that this part of Essex in those 
years " was steeped in Puritanism," and that the conditions 
of the boy's life there may well have influenced his subse- 
quent career. Dr. Emanuel Utey, vicar of Chigwell, had 
been ejected from his place for alleged ritualistic practices 
in church in 1641, and in 1650 it was reported by commis- 
sioners that there had been no settled minister there since 
his departure. The disputes in the church at "Wanstead, 
also, between Presbyterianism and Episcopacy began about 
1642, and ran high. A number of the people drew up and 
signed a celebrated " Protest" against all " innovations" 
which, as they considered, would lead away from " the true 
reformed Protestant religion." 

His years in the country, in the midst of a community 
of strenuously earnest advocates of religious change, at- 
tending a small and strictly administered school, hearing 
the anxious discussion of great and serious events going on 
in England, must have left their deep impression on Wil- 
liam Penn. Adjacent to Wanstead and Chigwell there lay 
— until 1851, when it was disafforested — the woods known 
as Haiuault Forest, and in these, it may reasonably be sup- 
posed, the active, spirited boy rambled and played, acquir- 
ing that love for nature and that acquaintance with it by 
which his subsequent career was marked.^ The region is 

^ Of the period of his youth in Ireland, say 1656-60, Hepworth Dixon 
says, " In person he was tall and slender, but his limbs were well knit, 
and he had a passionate fondness for field sports, boating, and other 
manly exercises." (" Life of Penn," p. 26.) Of his residence at Oxford, 
Anthony Wood says, " he delighted in manly sports at times of recrea- 
tion." These recall the familiar story, derived from Samuel Preston's 
grandmother, that Penn, when he met with the Indians in this country, 
on his second visit, " walked with them, sat with them on the ground, 
and ate with them of their roasted acorns and hominy. At this they 
expressed great delight, and soon began to show how they could hop 
and jump ; at which exhibition, William Penn, to cap the climax, sprang 
up and beat them all !" 



34 The Family of William Penn. 

still " very picturesque in parts, abounds in nightingales, 
and can show some fine trees, although none so large nor 
so celebrated as the Fairlop oak, which stood not far from 
Chigwell." ' 

Returning to London about 1655 or 1656, it is said that 
Admiral Penn had a private tutor for the lad at the house 
on Tower Hill.^ But this could have been only for a brief 
period, if the account given by Granville Penn can be con- 
fidently followed at this point. He says that the Admiral, 
after his release from the Tower, in 1655, took his family 
to Ireland, and indicates that they practically remained 
there until 1660, when Charles II. returned from Holland 
and the monarchy was restored. It may thus be assumed 
that, until he went to the University, Penn's education had 
been received at Chigwell and at the hands of private 
tutors, — the latter for a short time in London, and for a 
longer period at Macromp, in Ireland. In 1660, in Octo- 
ber, he went to Oxford, and on the 26th of that month was 
entered as a " gentleman commoner" at Christ Church Col- 
lege.^ 

Who his tutors were, or what the circumstances of his 
life in Ireland, is not disclosed by the biographies ; but it 
seems quite plain that the lad of 1660 arrived at Oxford very 
much of a Puritan in his religious temper, and that his subse- 
quent tribulations there were a not unnatural consequence of 
this disposition. In his own account of his second tour in 
Germany, 1677, he summarizes the narrative which he gave 

^ Citation in Stoughton, p. 6. The Fairlop oak was one of the show- 
trees of England until it fell, partly as the result of fire, in February, 
1870. Its girth at the ground was forty-eight feet, and three feet up 
thirty-six feet. Its branches covered a circumference of three hundred 
feet. 

^ Clarkson, p. 3. 

^ From the account in Janney, it would be inferred that he went to 
Oxford in 1659, the expression of the former being that he did so " at 
the age of fifteen." This error occurs by following Clarkson, who uses 
substantially the same language. Foster's " Alumni Oxon." is cited by 
Mr. Rigg, in his article in the " Dictionary of National Biography," for 
the exact date. 



The Family of William Penn. 35 

to Anna Maria von Schurmann, and the Somerdykes, in 
their house at Wiewerd, at the morning interview on the 
13th of September, and unless we could take the view that 
he was a deceiving or self-deceived man, its pregnant sen- 
tences must command our attention. He says, " Here I 
began to let them know how, and when, the Lord first 
appeared unto me, which was about the twelfth year of my 
age, anno 1656. How at times betwixt that and the fif- 
teenth, the Lord visited me, and the Divine impressions he 
gave me of himself; of my persecution at Oxford, and how 
the Lord sustained me in the midst of that hellish darkness 
and debauchery; of my being banished the college; the 
bitter usage I underwent when I returned to my father; 
whipping, beating, and turning out of doors in 1662. Of 
the Lord's dealings with me in France, and in the time of 
the Great Plague in London. In fine, the deep sense he 
gave me of the vanity of this world ; of the Irreligiousness 
of the religions of it." 

The biographic value of this passage is important. Gran- 
ville Penn, with scant sympathy for the Quaker, but more 
for the Admiral, in his memorial of the latter minimizes 
the breach between father and son at the time of the Oxford 
troubles, but it is evident that he does so unduly ; the im- 
pressive details above are too plain to be set aside. 

Dr. Stoughton, pointing out the manner — not at all unfa- 
vorable — in which Anthony Wood, the minute and caustic 
annalist of Oxford University, describes Penn's stay there, 
questions the accuracy of the stories that he joined in tear- 
ing ofi" the gowns of the students, etc., and even suggests a 
doubt whether he was expelled by the authorities. But as 
to the latter point his own expression above, " my being 
banished the college," appears conclusive. Anthony Wood 
describes the young man at some length, " enumerates a 
number of his works, and treats him with considerable 
civility." ^ 

Paragraphs in Pepys, at this period, throw light on the 
situation. The following are of interest : 

^ Stoughton, p. 36, 



36 The Family of William Penn. 

" Nov. 1, 1661. — At my house, Sir William sent for his son, Mr. Wil- 
liam Pen, lately come from Oxford." ^ 

" Jan. 1, 1661-2. — . . . Home again, and sent to young Mr. Pen and 
his sister to go anon with my wife and I to the theatre. That done, Mr. 
Pen came to me, and he and I walked out ... so home again to dinner, 
and by and by came the two young Pens, and after we had eat a barrel 
of oysters, we went by coach to the play [" The Spanish Curate."] . . . 
From thence home, and they sat with us till late at night, at cards very 
merry, but the jest was Mr. Pen had left his sword in the coach, and so 
my boy and he run out after the coach, and by very great chance did at 
the Exchange meet with the coach, and got his sword again." 

" Jan. 25, 1661-2.— At home. . . . Walking in the garden. ... Sir 
W. Pen came to me, and did break a business to me about removing his 
son from Oxford to Cambridge to some private college. I proposed 
Magdalene, but cannot name a tutor at present ; but I shall think and 
write about it." 

" Feb. 1. — I and Sir William Pen walked in the garden, talking about 
his business of putting his son to Cambridge ; and to that end I intend 
to write to-night to Fairebrother, to give me an account of Mr. Burton 
of Magdalene." 

" March 16. — Walking in the garden with Sir W. Pen : his son 
William is at home, not well. But all things, I fear, do not go well 
with them — they both look discontentedly, but I know not what ails 
them." 

^^ April 28, 1662. — [At Portsmouth] Sir W. Pen much troubled upon 
letters came last night. Showed me one of Dr. Owen's to his son, 
whereby it appears his son is much perverted in his opinion by him ; 
which I now perceive is one thing that hath put Sir William so long off 
the hookes." 

With Penn's stay at Oxford the Pennsylvania undertal<:ing 
is in some degree connected. Twenty years later, his letter, 
— dated at Westminster, 12th of Second Month (April), 
1681, just after the grant had been made him by the King, — 
addressed to Robert Turner, Anthony Sharp, and Roger 
Roberts, at Dublin, contained a passage which has been 
repeatedly noted : 

" For many are drawn forth to be concerned with me [in Pennsylva- 
nia], and perhaps this way of satisfaction [for losses which he had pre- 

* This passage Hepworth Dixon cites (" Life of Penn," p. 31) as au- 
thority for the statement that he was expelled from the University. But 
it is plain from Pepys's further entries that the expulsion was not at this 
time, but several months later. 



The Family of William Penn. 37 

viously mentioned, due to his being a Quaker] has more of the hand of 
God in it than a downright payment: this I can say that I had an open- 
ing of Joy, as to these parts, in the year 1661, at Oxford, tiventy years since; 
and as my understanding and inclinations have been much directed to 
observe and reprove mischiefs in government, so it is now put in ray 
power to settle one." ' 

"What is signified in the expression " an opening of joy," 
etc., is somewhat uncertain, but Dr. F. D. Stone has pointed 
out, in connection with it,^ that as early as 1660, George 
Fox was thinking of forming a colony of Friends in the 
region subsequently granted to Penn, and corresponded 
with Josiah Coale, who was then in Maryland, on the 
subject. 

Following upon his departure from Oxford, and a brief 
stay in London, came the tour in France, the studies under 
Moses Amyraut, the Protestant theologian,^ at Saumur, and 
the excursion into Italy. Penn returned from Turin in the 
summer of 1664, being recalled by his father, who now ex- 
pected active employment in the naval war with the Dutch. 
Pepys has these two allusions : 

"Aug. 26, 1664. — Mr. Pen, Sir William's son, is come back from 
France, and come to visit my wife ; a most modish person, grown, she 
says, a fine gentleman." 

" 30th. — Comes Mr. Pen to visit me. I perceive something of learning 
he hath got, but a great deal, if not too much, of the vanity of the 

^ Letter in full in Janney, p. 163, and Vol. I., " Memoirs of the His- 
torical Society of Pennsylvania," p. 210. 

^ Winsor's " Narrative and Critical History of America," III. 475. 

^ In the biographies Amyraut's name has suffered. Dr. Stoughton 
calls it Amyrant, and Janney's printers have made it Auryrault ! Amy- 
raut, himself an interesting man, derives some addition of importance 
to us because of Penn's studies with him. He was " one of the most 
celebrated divines of the reformed church of France, during the 17th 
century," a modified Calvinist, charged by his enemies as holding doc- 
trines that opened " a door to Arminianism, even to Pelagianism itself," 
but " repeatedly absolved," nevertheless, " from charges of heresy, by 
synods of his own church." He had been appointed to the church at 
Saumur in 1626, and to the chair of theology in the university there in 
1633 ; in the latter he remained till his death, in 1664, soon after Penn's 
stay with him at Saumur. 



38 The Family of William Penn. 

French garb, and affected manner of speech and gait. I fear all real 
profit he hath made of his travel will signify little." ^ 

Upon whicli it may be remarked simply tliat Mr. Pepys 
had little prevision of the future, so far as young " Mr. 
Pen" was concerned. 

f I "Sept. 5, 1665. — Home pretty betimes, and there found W. Pen, and 
he staid supper with us and mighty merry talking of his travells, and the 
French humours, etc., and so parted and to bed." 

The events following the return from Italy down to the 
writing of "The Sandy Foundation Shaken," and his im- 
prisonment in the Tower in 1668, are all interesting, but 
must be passed over without much detail. He began the 
study of law at Lincoln's Inn (February 7, 1664-65), was 
presented at court, attended upon his father, was on board 
the fleet,^ and brought despatches to the King. Letters sent 
to his father at this time are worth reproduction, as showing 
the filial attitude of the writer. They are in Granville 
Penn's " Memorials," Vol. II. p. 318, and are also repro- 
duced by Janney : „^ „ „„^ . ., ,,„ 

J -^ " From Harwich, 23d April, 1665. 

" Honoured Father, — We could not arrive here sooner than this 
day, about twelve of the clock, by reason of the continued cross winds, 
and, as I thought, foul weather. I pray God, after all the foul weather 
and dangers you are exposed to, and shall be, that you come home as 
secure. And I bless God, my heart does not in any way fail, but firmly 
believe that if God has called you out to battle, he will cover your head 
in that smoky day. And, as I never knew what a father was till I had 
wisdom enough to prize him, so I can safely say, that now, of all times, 
your concerns are most dear to me. It's hard, meantime, to lose both 
a father and a friend. ... « w p " 

" Navy Office, 6th May, 1665. 

" At my arrival at Harwich, (which was about one of the clock on the 
Sabbath day, and where I staid till three), I took post for London, and 

^ We may recall the statement of the seaman, Gibson, already cited, 
" I remember your honour very well, when you newly came out of France, 
and wore pantaloon breeches." 

* Pepys : April 25, 1665.—" This afternoon, W. Pen, lately came from 
his father in the fleete, did give me an account how the fleete did sail, 
about 103 in all. . . ." 




o 

o 
o 



pa 



/ 



The Family of William Penn. 39 

was at London the next morning by almost daylight. I hasted to White- 
hall, where, not finding the King up, I presented myself to my Lord of 
Arlington and Colonel Ashburnham. 

" At his majesty's knocking, he was informed there was an express 
from the Duke ; at which, earnestly skipping out of his bed, he came 
only in his gown and slippers ; who, when he saw me, ' Oh 1 is't you ? 
how is Sir William?' 

" He asked how you did at three several times. He was glad to hear 
your message about Ka. [?] After interrogating me above half an hour, 
he bid me go about your business and mine too. As to the Duchess, he 
was pleased to ask several questions, and so dismissed me. 

" I delivered all the letters given me. My mother was to see my Lady 
Lawson, and she was here. 

" I pray God be with you, and be your armor in the day of contro- 
versy ! May that power be your salvation, for his name's sake. And so 
will he wish and pray, that is with all true veneration, honored father, 

" Your obedient son and servant, 

"William Penn." 

The naval battle with the Dutch, in which Admiral Penn 
was " Great Captain Commander," and in which he won a 
signal success, occurred June 3, 1665, and soon after the 
frightful increase of the plague in London drove Penn to 
the country. In the autumn of that year his father sent 
him to Ireland. There he remained for the most of two 
years. In this period occurred the episode of his military 
service, under Lord Arran (second son of the Duke of Or- 
mond), at the siege of Carrickfergus, and about the time 
of this affair — May, 1666 — there was painted the " portrait 
in armor," of which the Historical Society of Pennsylvania 
possesses a copy, presented by Granville Penn in 1833. 
This is a half-length ; the artist is unknown. It is doubt- 
less the only portrait extant of William Penn painted from 
life, unless it be considered that the Blackwell Grange pic- 
ture is really his, and not that of the Admiral. The origi- 
nal of the portrait in armor is at Pennsylvania Castle, in 
the Isle of Portland, formerly the property of the Penns, 
now owned by J. Merrick Head, Esq. ; another copy be- 
longs to Captain William Dugald Stewart, of Tempsford 
Hall, in Bedfordshire.^ 

^ The portrait in armor is so familiar that it needs no particular de- 
scription. It has been engraved by S. A. Schoif, Boston, with the aid 



40 The Family of William Penn. 

The incident of the attendance by Penn on Thomas Loe's 
preaching at Cork, his further and renewed convincement 
of the views of the Friends, and his arrest by officers at a 
Friends' meeting in that city now followed, — the arrest 
being upon September 3, 1667. He returned soon after 
that to London, then became openly and actively identified 
with the Friends,^ and presently began to write and speak 
in their behalf.^ In 1668 he published " The Sandy Foun- 
dation Shaken," and on the 12th of December of that year 
he was committed to the Tower on account of it. He had 
been, as he himself tells in the manuscript fragments of an 
" Apology," ^ twice to court earlier in the year, once in com- 
pany with George Whitehead, Josiah Coale, and Thomas 
Loe, and next time with Whitehead and Coale, to urge a 
relaxation of the persecution of the Friends. Their suflfer- 
ings by " Stocks, Whips, Gaols, Dungeons, Pr?emunires, 
Fines, Sequestrations, and Banishment," compelled his deep 
sympathy, and they were entitled, he thought, to better 
treatment. " Accordingly," he says, " I had formed a 
scheme to myself for that purpose. But it so fell out that, 
towards the close of that year, I was made incapable of 

of a crayon reduction by William Hunt, by Thomas Sartain, by W. 
G. Armstrong, and probably by others. The Schoff picture is in Win- 
sor's History, Vol. III. p. 474; the Sartain in Watson's Annals, in 
Janney's " Life of Penn," and in the " Memorial History of Philadel- 
phia," as a frontispiece to Vol. I. The three engravings vary somewhat 
in the expression of the face : that of Sartain makes it more mature and 
refined than either of the others ; the Armstrong engraving is a very 
satisfactory reproduction of the portrait. 

^ Pepys: " Dec. 29, 1667. (Lord's day).— At night comes Mrs. Turner 
to see us ; and there among other talk, she tells me that Mr. William 
Pen, who is lately come over from Ireland, is a Quaker again, or some 
very melancholy thing ; that he cares for no company, nor comes into 
any ; which is a pleasant thing after his being abroad so long. . . ." 

^ According to Hepworth Dixon ("Life of Penn," p. 44), it was in 
1668 that, after a painful interview, " the indignant Admiral turned him 
out of doors." There seems to be no good authority for this statement. 
Penn's own narrative to Anna Maria von Schurmann, already given, 
definitely mentions the " turning out of doors" as " in 1662." This date 
seems to have been overlooked by Dixon. 

^ "Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania," III., Part 2, 



The Family of William Penn. 41 

prosecuting the resolution I had taken, and the phm I had 
layd of this affair, by a long and close imprisonment in the 
Tower ^ for a book I writ, called [etc.] ^ . . . I was committed 
the beginning of December, and was not discharged till the 
Fall of the Leaf following; wanting about fourteen days of 
nine months. . . . Within six weeks after my enlargement I 
was sent by my Father to settle his Estate in Ireland," etc. 

In the Tower he had written "JSTo Cross, No Crown," 
which must be considered, no doubt, the most important of 
his numerous religious writings.^ The subject — a crown of 
reward for the cross of suffering — sprang naturally from his 
own situation. Hepworth Dixon says that, " considering 
the shortness of time, and other untoward circumstances 
under which it was produced, the reader is struck with the 
grasp of thought, the power of reasoning, the lucid arrange- 
ment of subject, and the extent of research displayed. Had 
the style been more condensed, it would have been well 
entitled to claim a high place in literature."* 

His release from the Tower must have been, from his own 
account, near the end of August, 1669. On the 15th of 
September he left London, and on the 24th of October he 
sailed from Bristol for Cork, where he arrived on the 26th, 
to resume his charge of the Irish property. He found, as 
he tells us in his fragmentary " Apology," the Friends un- 
der " general persecution, and those of the City of Cork 

^ This imprisonment was a harsh one. He says ("Apology"), "As 
I saw very few, so I saw them but seklom, except my own Father and 
Dr. Stillingfleet, the present Bishop of Worcester. The one came as 
my relation, the other at the King's command to endeavour my change 
of judgment." Bishop Stillingfleet treated him considerately. "I am 
glad," proceeds Penn, " I have the opportunity to own so publickly the 
great pains he took, and humanity he showed, and that to his modera- 
tion, learning, and kindness I will ever hold myself obliged." 

2 Pepys : " February 12, 1668-9.— Got William Pen's book against 
the Trinity, and I find it so well writ, as I think it is too good for him 
to have writ it ; it is a serious sort of book, and not fit for everybody to 
read." 

^ A second edition was issued in 1682, the twenty-fourth (English) 
edition in 1857. 

* " Life of Penn," p. 63. 



42 The Family of William Penn. 

almost all in prison," so that he promptly " adjourned all 
private affairs," and hastened to Dublin to the authorities 
to intercede in their behalf. Rutty's " History of Friends 
in Ireland" says that " William Penn, who was here this 
year, did frequently visit his friends in prison, and hold 
meetings with them, omitting no opportunity he had with 
those in authority to solicit on their behalf; and as the 
Ninth month [November] national meeting was this year 
held at his lodgings in Dublin, an account of Friends' suf- 
ferings was then drawn up by way of address, which he 
presented to the Lord Lieutenant, (John, Lord Berkeley, 
Baron Stratton), whereupon an order of Council was ob- 
tained for the release of those that were imprisoned." ^ 

Penn remained in Ireland until the summer of 1670. He 
resided at Cork and at Dublin, preached at the Friends' 
meetings, wrote religious pamphlets, appealed not only to 
the Lord Lieutenant, but to Lord Arran, the Lord Chancel- 
lor, and others, in behalf of the Friends, and attended 
meantime to the care of his father's property. In April, 
1670, the Admiral wrote to him, " I wish you had well done 
all your business there, for I find myself to decline." Penn, 
therefore, presently returned to England, and joined his 
father at "Wanstead. Margaret, as we have seen, was mar- 
ried, and was living with her husband in Yorkshire ; while 
Richard, in June, as appears from Captain Poole's letter, 
already cited, was in Italy. The Admiral's career was 
nearly closed. His son-in-law Lowther had written to him 
in April, recommending for his purchase an estate near his 
own in Yorkshire, but the time for that was past. 

Penn, however, was to undergo one more remarkable 

1 This passage in Rutty's History (which is a continuation and en- 
largement of a brief account by Thomas Wight) is repeated almost ver- 
batim by Gough in his " History of the Quakers," and is cited by 
Janney, p. 65. The release of the Friends was ordered June 4, 1670. 
In the " Life of Penn" prefixed to his " Select Works" it is stated that, 
" being arrived at Cork, he immediately visited his friends there, and the 
next day had a meeting with them . . . having tarried there some days, 
he went from thence to Dublin, and on the 5th of the 9th month was at 
the National Meeting of Friends, which was held at his lodgings." 



The Family of William Penn. 43 

experience before he parted from his father. On August 
14, 1670, it being the first day of the week, he went with 
William Mead to the meeting of Friends in White Hart 
Court, Graeechurch Street. William Mead, a country gen- 
tleman of some estate in Essex, had been a captain in the 
Parliamentary service, and for a time, like John Gilpin, 
a " linen-draper bold" in the city. He was now one of 
those recently converted to the views of George Fox, and 
active in spreading " the Truth," as the Friends held it,^ 
The meeting-house in Graeechurch Street had been, like 
the others in London, for some weeks closed under the 
operation of the " Conventicle Act," ^ and guarded by sol- 

^ He married, in 1681, at the Devonshire House Friends' meeting, in 
London, Sarah Fell, one of the daughters of Margaret Fox by her first 
husband, Judge Fell, of Swarthmoor Hall, in Lancashire. 

^ The *' Conventicle Act," passed by Parliament in 1664, embodied 
clauses contained in a previous harsh act of 1661. It was renewed in 
1667, and in April, 1670, after quite a struggle in Parliament, was again 
enacted, to take eflFect May 10 of that year. It was one of the most 
oppressive of the long series of persecuting measures enacted in the 
Restoration period, levelled at the Dissenters, and fell heavily upon the 
Friends, who would not give up their meetings. It forbade the assem- 
bling of five persons or more, " besides those of the same household," in 
" any assembly, conventicle or meeting, under colour or pretence of any 
exercise of religion, in any other manner than according to the liturgy 
and practice of the Church of England," and imposed a ruinous series 
of fines, part of the proceeds of which went to informers. " By this 
law," says Sewel {" History of the Quakers"), " many an honest family 
was impoverished ; for the Quakers did not leave off meeting together 
publicly. ... At London, as well as at other places, many were spoiled 
of their goods very unmercifully, and many times people of good sub- 
stance brought to mere poverty, seeing not only the shop goods of some 
but also their household goods have been seized, insomuch that the very 
sick have had their beds taken from under them, . . . nay, they have 
been so cruel as to leave them nothing ; insomuch as when the child's 
pap hath stood in a pannikin, they have thrown out the pap to take the 
pannikin away." Sewel adds, however, that the greed of the informers 
was sometimes checked by humane magistrates. 

The text of the " Conventicle Act" of 1670 is given in full by Sewel ; 
also by Besse, who gives, besides, the previous acts of 1661 and 1664. The 
law of 1670, though capable of being made to work great hardship, was 
less severe than that of 1664, which imposed heavier fines, and added 
imprisonment and transportation. 



44 The Family of William Penn. 

diers against use by the Friends, and on each Sabbath since 
the law took effect (May 10) there had been some of them 
arrested and imprisoned or fined. On May 15, George 
Fox was taken, in front of the meeting, but the informer 
failed to appear against him, and he was released; later 
John Burnyeat, George Whitehead, and others had fallen 
victims to the sharp enforcement of the law by the lord 
mayor. Sir Samuel Starling. On this 14th of August the 
Friends had repaired to their meeting-house (Gracechurch 
Street), but had found it closed and guarded as before. 
A group had remained outside in the street, and Penn, 
removing his hat, had begun to address them, when in a 
moment constables appeared, with a warrant from the lord 
mayor, and arrested him and Mead ; and being thereupon 
haled before Sir Samuel in short order, and duly reviled 
by him, they were committed for trial. Penn's letter to his 
father, dated next day, the 15th, from " the sign of the 
Black Dog, in Newgate Market," — " a wretched sponging- 
house," Hepworth Dixon calls it, — informed the sick Ad- 
miral at "Wanstead what had happened. 

The trial of Penn and Mead is a tempting theme. It 
forms an episode in English history at once dramatic and 
diverting. In its historical and legal aspects it is impor- 
tant, and as a picture of manners in London under Charles 
II. it has elements which Shakespeare would have made 
immortal. As to the chief actor, Penn, nothing in his ex- 
tended life and varied activities better discloses his qualities.^ 

The trial began September 1, and was continued on the 
3d, 4th, and 5th. Ten magistrates were upon the bench : 
the mayor, Sir Samuel Starling; the recorder. Sir John 
Howell; five aldermen, among them Sir John Robinson, 
the oppressive and persecuting lieutenant of the Tower; 
and three sheriffs. The browbeating and bullying from 

^ The impression made by Ms conduct at this trial is suggested by La- 
fayette's toast at Philadelphia, at the dinner to Richard Eush, July 20, 
1825. Lafayette gave : " The memories of Penn and Franklin— the one 
never greater than when arraigned before an English jury, or the other 
than before a British Parliament." 



The Fainily of William Penn. 45 

the court, especially from the recorder, the spirit, readi- 
ness, and wit of Penn's defence (and Mead, it must in jus- 
tice be said, bore himself equally well), the courage and 
endurance of the jury, the ridiculous break-down of the 
whole proceeding, — though the court indulged its spiteful- 
ness to cover its mortification at the end, — make up a chap- 
ter which every biographer of Penn is irresistibly led to 
cite as fully as possible. Penn's promptly issued account 
of it, " The People's Ancient and Just Liberties Asserted," 
has been many times reprinted, and its simple and graphic 
details make it worthy of a place beside classics of Defoe 
or Bunyan. 

The sequel of the trial, too, — the imprisonment of the 
jury in default of payment of forty marks fine for refusing 
to find a verdict of guilty, their release upon habeas corpus 
in a suit against the lord mayor and recorder for illegal 
imprisonment, the trial of the suit in the Court of Common 
Pleas before a bench of twelve judges, the elaborate argu- 
ment of the question by distinguished counsel, the unani- 
mous decision that a jury is to judge of the facts and that 
it cannot be coerced, — that the court may try " to open the 
eyes of the jurors, but not to lead them by the nose," — and 
the ultimate triumphant discharge in open court of Edward 
Bushel ^ and his eleven resolute companions, — is set down in 
the law reports of England as a famous case. "It estab- 
lished a truth," says Hepworth Dixon, "which William 
Penn never ceased to inculcate — that unjust laws are power- 
less weapons, when used against an upright people." 

* The browbeating of Bushel by the court, all unavailing as it was, 
is a notable feature of the trial. "Sir," said the recorder to him, when 
the jury first reported they could not agree, "you are the cause of this 
disturbance, and manifestly show yourself an abetter of faction ; I shall 
set a mark upon you, sir!" "Sirrah," interjected the mayor a moment 
later, "you are an impudent fellow; I will put a mark upon you!" 
Again the mayor, infuriated at the verdict of not guilty as to Mead, 
shouted, " What, will you be led by such a fellow as Bushel ? an impu- 
dent, canting fellow! I warrant you, you shall come upon no more 
juries in haste!" Sheriff Bludworth declared he knew when he saw 
Bushel on the jury there would be trouble, and the lord mayor threat- 
ened, " I will cut his nose!" 



46 The Family of William Penn. 

Penn, with Mead, had been recommitted to Newgate 
September 5, in default of the payment of fines for " con- 
tempt of court" in declining to remove their hats during 
the trial. Some one, however, paid their fines two days 
later, and they were released. 

The Admiral, at Wanstead, was now within a few days 
of his close. Penn's discharge from Newgate took place 
on the 7th of September, and it was but nine days later, 
the 16th, that his father died. 

SUMMARY : ADMIRAL PENN. 

Sir William Penn, Knight, son of Captain Giles and 
Joan Penn, born at Bristol; baptized in the Church of St. 
Thomas the Apostle April 23, 1621; married, 1643-44, 
Margaret, daughter of John Jasper, of Rotterdam. He 
died September 16, 1670, at Wanstead, Essex, and was 
buried September 30, at St. Mary's Redclifie, Bristol. His 
wife, born (?); died 1681-82, and was buried March 4 of 
that year in the church at Walthamstow, Essex. Their 
issue : 

1. William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania. 

2. Margaret, born (?); married, February 14, 1666-67, 
Anthony Lowther, of Maske, Yorkshire, and left issue, a 
son (and perhaps others) William, created a baronet in 1697. 
Margaret died 1718, and was buried at Walthamstow. Her 
husband died 1692, and was buried at Walthamstow, where 
there is a " monument" to him. (In a letter, 9th of Third 
month (May), 1720, to Rebecca Blackfan, at Pennsbury, 
Pennsylvania, Hannah Penn said, " My cousin John Low- 
ther is married, has one child, a daughter, and lives at 
Mask, as yet. My cousin Sir Thomas, the heir of Sir Wil- 
liam, is just returned from his travels in France and Flan- 
ders. He went out a very promising hopeful young man, 
and I greatly hope is not worsted but improved by his 
journey." It was this Sir Thomas Lowther, Bart., who 
married Lady Elizabeth Cavendish, see p. 25.) 

3. Richard, born(?); died without issue 1673. Extract 
from Walthamstow parish register: "Richard Penn, gent., 




WILLIAJI I'ENN : 15EVAN CAKVING 



The Family of William Penn. 47 

second son of Sir William Penn, Kniglit, from Rickmers- 
worth, buried Ap'l 9, 1673." 



V. WILLIAM PENN'S FIRST MARRIAGE. 

William Penn, by the death of his father, " came into the 
possession of a very handsome estate, supposed to be worth 
at that time not less than fifteen hundred pounds per annum ; 
so that he became, in point of circumstances, not only an 
independent, but a rich man." 

This statement, made by Clarkson,^ has been followed by 
successive biographers ; Janney, Dixon, and probably others 
repeat it. The property which the son received was sub- 
stantially that ill Ireland, the Shangarry and adjoining es- 
tates ; if there was any other of importance that came into 
his possession from his father I have seen no account 
of it. 

Penn's first marriage followed about a year and a half 
after the death of the Admiral. In the mean time he had 
been again imprisoned six months (1670-71), at first in the 
Tower, and then in Newgate, for being at the Friends' 
meeting in Wheeler Street, London, and for refusing to 
take the oath of allegiance (tendered as a " snare" to the 
Friends, who would take no oaths); had written several 
more political and religious pamphlets ; and had made his 
first religious visit to Holland and Germany. 

The years of his courtship and of his first marriage — as 
late, at least, as his first return from Pennsylvania — form the 
halcyon period of Penn's career. There is about these 
years an air of hopeful and buoyant cheerfulness. The 
accounts giv^en of the Springetts by Mary Penington, and of 
the Peningtons by Thomas Ell wood, are at once romantic 
and idyllic. Upon these details it will always be pleasant, 
in the study of the Founder's varied experiences of sun- 
shine and cloud, to linger. 

Early in 1668, it is said, William Penn first met Gulielma 



1 (I 



Life of Penn," p. 33. 



48 The Family of William Penn. 

Maria Springett.^ She was then living in the family of her 
stepfather, Isaac Penington, with her mother, Mary Pening- 
ton, — previously the wife of Sir William Springett, her 
(Gulielma's) father, — at Bury House, near Amersham, in 
Buckinsrhamshire. Isaac Penington was the son of Alder- 
man Isaac Penington, of London, sometime lieutenant of 
the Tower, Lord Mayor of London, and one of the judges who 
condemned Charles I. to death. In 1654, Isaac, the son, 
had married the widow, Mary Springett, and somewhat 
later both had joined the religious movement of which 
George Fox was the leader. In 1658 they had settled at 
the Grange, at Chalfont St. Peter's, in Bucks, which had 
been assigned as a residence (not conveyed) to Isaac by his 
father, and they continued to live in that part of the coun- 
try, amid many vicissitudes, until their death and burial in 
the Friends' ground at Jordans, near Chalfont, where also 
William Penn and most of his family are buried.^ 

Gulielma Maria Springett was the only child of Sir 
William Springett, Knight, who was a native of Sussex, 
born about 1620, and who died February 3, 1643/4, of a 
fever contracted at the siege of Arundel Castle, in Sussex, 
where he was commanding as a colonel in the Parliamen- 

^ This is the statement of Maria Webb, in the " Penns and Pening- 
tons." In a document quoted in that work, a narrative said to have 
been given by William Penn to a certain Thomas Harvey, and by him 
repeated to the (unknown) writer, it is said that in 1668, after his return 
from Ireland, Penn had been visiting and speaking in the Friends' 
meetings in the country; then, upon being summoned by his father to 
come to him, at Wanstead, he attended on his way a meeting in London, 
and after its close, " happening to be in the house of a Friend who re- 
sided in the neighborhood, Gulielma Maria Springett came in and was 
introduced to him ; this was in the year 1668, and was the first time he 
ever saw his future wife." The authority of this document in some 
respects appears to me dubious, but on this point it may be trustworthy. 
^ Isaac Penington died October 8, 1679, while he and his wife were on 
a visit at Goodeustone Court, a property belonging to her, in Kent. His 
remains were brought to Jordans ground for interment. Mary Pening- 
ton died (as also stated in the test), while on a visit to her daughter 
Penn, at Worminghurst, in Sussex, September 18, 1682, and was buried 
at Jordans. 



The Family of William Penn. 49 

tarj army. His wife, Maiy, afterwards Mary Peniiigton, 
was the daughter of Sir John Proude, Knight, and was born 
about 1624.^ She died at Worminghurst, in Sussex, Sep- 
tember 18, 1682, a little more than a fortnight after the sail- 
ing of the " Welcome" for Pennsylvania (and a few months 
later than the death of "William Penn's mother, the widow 
of the Admiral). Her daughter, Gulielma Maria, whose 
name thus represented those of both parents, was a post- 
humous child. She was born " a few weeks after the death 
of her father," Maria Webb says,^ and as this occurred, as 
already said, February 3, 1643/4, her birth may have been 
either in the closing days of 1643, old style, or the begin- 
ning of 1644. Maria Webb says, " it may be presumed she 
was born in 1644, but we have no exact record of the date." 
She was thus some six or seven months older than William 
Penn. 

The Peningtons continued to live at Chalfont Grange 
until 1666. The property had been confiscated in 1660, as 
belonging to the regicide alderman, but they had remained 
there six years, apparently on suft'erance by the Crown. To 
whom it went, on their ejectment in 1666, is not definitely 
stated; some of the alderman's town property was obtained 
by the Bishop of Worcester, and some in the country by 
the Duke of Grafton, illegitimate son of Charles II. by his 
mistress, the Duchess of Cleveland.^ The Peningtons were 

^ The narrative of her early life and first marriage, the death of her 
husband, her becoming a Friend, and her later experiences at Chalfont 
and Amersham, is given in Maria Webb's " Penns and Peningtons," 
and, as already suggested in the text, is a most interesting picture of 
real life. Many details concerning her and her family are given in 
that work, and also in W. H. Summers's " Memories of Jordans and the 
Chalfonts," an almost equally interesting book, published in London, 
1895. 

* " Penns and Peningtons." 

'"A local tradition asserts that the notorious George Jeffreys [Judge 
of the 'Bloody Assize'], who is credited with the erection of the Grey- 
hound Inn at Chalfont St. Peter's, resided at the Grange before the 
erection of his house at Bulstrode. It is added that a portrait of the 
' Unjust Judge' was long preserved at the Grange under peculiar cir- 
cumstances. Jeffreys had given strict orders that it was never to be 



60 The Family of William Penn. 

repeatedly visited, while they remained at the Grange, by 
Thomas Ellwood, and for a time he resided there as tutor 
to their children. His description of them in his auto- 
biography includes several references to the young girl, 
Gulielma, with whom, it was suggested, he had fallen in 
love, and wdiom, as his ill wishers suggested, he might carry 
off. He had, however, no such schemes; he admired her, 
but at a respectful distance. Of a visit to the Peningtons, 
at the Grange, about 1659, Ellwood says, — 

"I mentioned before, that during my fatlier's abode in London, in 
the time of the civil wars, he contracted a friendship with the Lady 
Springett, then a widow, and afterwards married to Isaac Penington, 
Esq., to continue which he sometimes visited them at their country 
lodgings, as at Datchet, and at Causham Lodge, near Reading. And 
having heard that they were come to live upon their own estate at Chal- 
font, in Buckinghamshire, about fifteen miles from Crowell [the home of 
the Ellwoods], he went one day to visit them there, and to return at 
night, taking me with him, 

"But very much surprised we were when, being come hither, we first 
heard, then found, they were become Quakers ; a people we had no 
knowledge of, and a name we had till then scarce heard of. 

" So great a change, from a free, debonair, and courtly sort of be- 
havior, which we formerly had found them in, to so strict a gravity as 
they now received us with, did not a little amuse us, and disappoint our 
expectation of such a pleasant visit as we used to have, and now had 
promised ourselves. Nor could my father have any opportunity, by 
a private conference with them, to understand the ground or occasion of 
this change, there being some other strangers with them (related to 
Isaac Penington), who came that morning to visit them also. 

" For my part I sought and at length found means to cast myself into 
the company of the daughter, whom I found gathering some flowers in 
the garden, attended by her maid, who was also a Quaker. But when I 
addressed myself to her after my accustomed manner, with intent to 
engage her in some discourse which might introduce conversation on the 
footing of our former acquaintance, though she treated me with a cour- 

removed from the walls of the house. After his disgrace, accordingly, 
it was removed to the cellar, fastened to the wall, and bricked in. So 
says tradition ; but tradition says many strange things." (Summers, 
" Jordans and the Chalfonts," p. 95.) Alderman Penington remained a 
prisoner in the Tower from his commitment in 1660 to his death, De- 
cember, 1661. His jailer was that same Sir John Robinson whose ac- 
quaintance we made at the time of Penn and Mead's trial. 



The Family of William Penn. 51 

teous mien, yet, as young as she was, the gravity of her look and be- 
haviour struck such an awe upon me, that I found myself not so much 
master of myself as to pursue any further converse with her. Wherefore, 
asking pardon for my boldness for having intruded myself into her pri- 
vate walks, I withdrew, not without some disorder (as I thought at least) 
of mind." 

Penu's courtship, if begun so early as 1668, progressed 
without undue haste. He is particular!}^ said to have vis- 
ited Guli, in Bucks, after the death of his father, in 1670, 
and upon his release from Newgate, in 1671. His pamphlet, 
" A Seasonable Caveat against Popery," is dated at " Penn 
in Buckinghamshire," 23d of Eleventh month (February), 
1670, a few months after his father's death, and as this was 
not far from the young lady's neighborhood, it maj^ suggest 
calls upon her at that time. 

The time of the marriage has been left by the biographers 
quite obscure. Janney mentions it briefly, without assign- 
ing any date. Dixon says, " the marriage was performed 
in the early spring of 1672, six or seven months after his 
liberation from Newgate." Maria Webb states that no 
family documents are forthcoming relative to this period in 
Penn's life. But Summers, in his more careful investiga- 
tion of local sources, supplies from contemporary documents 
all the data that are needed to complete the account, and 
the marriage certificate itself has been found of record, and 
an abstract of it has been obtained for this work. 

In the Jordans Friends' Monthly Meeting Book, under 
date of 7th of Twelfth month, 1671 (February 7, 1671/2), 
there is this minute : 

" William Penn, of Walthamstow, in the County of Essex, and Guli- 
elma Maria Springett, of Tiler's End Green, in the County of Bucks, 
proposed their intention of taking each other in marriage. Where- 
upon it was referred to Daniel Zachary and Thomas EUwood to inquire 
into the clearness of their proceedings and give an account to next 
meeting." ^ 

' " Jordans and the Chalfonts," p. 158. — Penn is here described as " of 
Walthamstow," and Mr. Summers suggests that Lady Penn's residence, 
— that of the Admiral, — though always spoken of as at Wanstead, may 
have been really in Walthamstow, the parish adjoining. But Mr. Sum- 
mers is at a loss to explain why Gulielma is described as " of Tiler's End 



52 The Family of William Penn. 

These preliminary proceedings took place at a monthly 
meeting held at the house of Thomas Ellwood. He had 
married Mary Ellis in 1669, and had taken up his abode at 
Hunger Hill, or Ongar Hill, not far from Beaconsfield, in 
the Jordans and Chalfont region. In this house he lived 
until his death in 1713. His poetical " Directions to my 
Friend Inquiring the Way to My House" run thus : 

" Two miles from Beaconsfield, upon the road 
To Amersham, just where the way grows broad, 
A little spot there is called Larkiu's Green, 
Where, on a bank, some fruit trees may be seen ; 
In midst of which, on the sinister hand, 
A little cottage covertly doth stand; 
' Soho !' the people out, and then inquire 
For Hunger Hill ; it lies a little higher, 
But if the people should from home be gone, 
Ride up the bank some twenty paces on, 
And at the orchard's end thou may'st perceive 
Two gates together hung. The nearest leave, 
The furthest take, and straight the hill ascend, 
That path leads to the house where dwells thy friend." 

At the next monthly meeting, March 6, 1671/2, the 
records show that " the consent and approbation of Friends" 
was given to the marriage, and it duly followed on the 4th 
of the following month, April, 1672. An old manuscript 
volume, kept in that time by Rebekali Butterlield, a Friend, 
at Stone Dean, a dwelling within sight of Jordans, is now 
preserved by Mr. Steevens, of High Wycombe, Bucks, and 
records thus : 

Green." Her stepfather, Isaac Penington, was then in Eeading jail, on 
religious account, and her mother was engaged in building the house at 
Woodside, near Amersham, five miles from Tyler's Green, where the 
Peningtons subsequently lived. Mr. Summers suggests that Gulielma 
was in lodgings at Tyler's Green, and that she may have been staying 
with some of the Penn family. There were Penns in Bucks who were 
then Quakers, for in the petition of the Quaker women of the country 
(1659) for the abolition of tithes, there are among the four hundred and 
seventeen signatures those of Anne and Elizabeth Penn. It seems to 
me, however, a more reasonable suggestion that — there being no clear 
evidence as to her residence elsewhere at this time — Mary Penington was 
herself lodging at Tyler's Green, and her daughter with her. 



The Family of William Fenn. 



53 



"4th of 2nd Mo. 1672. They [W. P. and G. M. S.] took 
each other in marriage at Charlewood, at a farmhouse 
called Kings, where Friends meeting was y° kept, being in 
y" parish of Rickmansworth, in y^ county of Hertford." 

The certificate of marriage is as follows : 

WlbCrCHS, William Penn, of Walthamstow, in the County 
of Essex, and Gulielma Maria Springett, of Penn, in the 
County of Bucks, having first obtained the goodwill and con- 
sent of their nearest friends & Relations, did in two publick 
Monthly Meetings of the people of God called Quakers, de- 
clare their intention to take each other in Marriage, & upon 
serious and due consideration, were fully approved of the said 
Meetings, as by several weighty testimonies did appear. 
These are now to certifie al persons whom it doth or may concern 
that upon the fourth day of the second month in the year one thou- 
sand six hundred seventy two, the said WILLIAM PENN and 
GULIELMA MARIA SPRINGETT did, in a godly sort & manner 
(according to the good old Order and practise of the Church of 
Christ) in a publick Assembly of the People of the Lord at King's 
Charle-wood in the County of Hertford, solemnly and expressly take 
each other in marriage, mutually promising to be loving, true and faith- 
ful to each other in that Relation, so long as it shal please the Lord to 
continue their natural lives. 

In testimony whereof we then present, have hereunto subscribed 
our names, the day and year afore written. 



Margret Penn 
Rich. Penn 
Isaac Penirfgton 
John Penington 
Mary Penington 
Mary Penington Jun 
Elizabeth Springett 
Alexander Parker 
George Whitehead 
Sam : Newton 
W"" Welch 
Geo : Roberts 
The : Zachary 
James Claypoole 
Tho : Rudyard 



Robt. Hodgson 
John Jenner 
Charles Harris 
Edward Man 
Sam : Hersent 
Rich : Clipsham 
Robt. Jones 
Tho : Ellwood 
Martin Mason 
Tho : Dell 
Edward Hoar 
John Puddivat 
John Jigger Sen 
Abraham Axtell 
John Costard 



Giles Child 
Stephen Pewsey 
John Harvey 
Elizabeth Walmsly 
Rebecca Zachary 
Mary Ellwood 
Jane Bullocke 
Mary Odingsells 
Elizabeth Murford 
Mary Newton 
ffrances Cadwell 
Helena Claypoole 
Sarah Mathew 
Sarah Welch 
Mary Welch 
Martha Blake 



54 The Family of William Penn. 

[Certified to be an Extract from the Register or Record numbered 
168 Buclis, and entitled a Register of Marriages formerly kept by the 
Society of Friends at the Monthly Meeting of Upper Side.] ^ 

TABLE, GULIELMA MARIA SPRINGETT. 

Herbert Springett, Sir John Proude, 

of Sussex. OT. Anne Fagge. 



Sir William Springett, 
b. circa 1620, d. 1643/4. 



Mary Proude, 
b. circa 1624, d. 1682. 



GuLiELMA Maria Springett 

m. 

William Penn. 

King's Farm, Chorley Wood, is still a well-known and 
readily identified place. Though in Hertfordshire, it is but 
half a mile from the Bucks line. The name of the place 
is said to be derived from its having once been a hunting- 
box of King John. " The present house," says Summers, 
" probably dates from the latter part of the fifteenth cen- 
tury. The front, which is timber framed, presents one 
feature of interest in a curious old window, and there is a 
large door of very similar style, which probably in Penn's 
time was the main entrance, but is now concealed from 
view b}^ a modern structure used as a dairy. The back 
of the house, where the entrance door now is, seems rather 
newer than the front, but was probably built earlier than 
1672. The large room to which the window just now men- 
tioned belongs is probably the one in which the marriage 
took place, and presents an interesting farm-house interior. 
The house is very much hidden from view by an immense 
barn, solidly built, and strengthened by numerous buttresses. 
This is said to have been fortified by an outpost during the 
civil war, by which party does not appear, and the loop-holes 
then pierced in the wall, which were only bricked up a few 
years ago, are still distinctly visible from the interior. The 

^ Copy furnished from the General Register Office, Somerset House, 
London, August 11, 1896. 



The Family of William Penn. 55 

old farm has not passed unnoticed by artists, but its historic 
interest seems to have hitherto been overlooked." 

Following the marriage, Penn and his young wife went 
to live at a house he had rented (probably), Basing House, 
Ri ckm an s worth. It also is in Herts, but near the line of 
Bucks. Here they made their home for about five j^ears, 
going in 1677 to Worminghurst, in Sussex, a property of 
his mother. Basing House is still standing, but much 
changed in appearance. Mr. Summers says (1895) it " is so 
shut in by a high wall with a row of trees behind it that little 
can be seen of it from the street, while what little is visible 
is so modernized by stucco and other alterations that there 
is some difficulty in picturing its original appearance. The 
garden front is less changed, but a fine avenue of trees and 
an extensive lawn have disappeared." ^ 

At Rickmansworth three children were born, all of 
whom died in infancy, w^hile a fourth, Springett Penn, born 
at Walthamstow, Essex, lived to grow up. Quoting again 
Mr. Summers : " Towards the end of 1672 Penn became 
the father of a little girl, who was named Gulielma Maria. 
She only lived a few weeks, and was buried at Jordans. 
IText year a boy was born, and called William. He lived 
about a year, and was then laid to rest beside his sister." 
(This statement is also made, though not exactly in these 
words, in Maria Webb's book, and may be derived from it.) 
Later, according to Mr. Summers, a third child was born 
(a girl), of whom Penn speaks in a letter to George Fox, 
December 10, 1674: "My wife is well, and child; only 
teeth, she has one cut." This child was named Mary or 
Margaret. She died not long after this letter to Fox, and 
was buried at Jordans w^ith her brother and sister. 

These statements, substantially true, are not quite exact. 

1 Maria Webb says ("Penns and Peuingtons"), "The bouse at Rick- 
mansworth ... is more perfect than any other of his [Penn's] resi- 
dences. The front has evidently been modernized, perhaps early in the 
present century ; the rear, opening on the garden, appears not to have 
been altered; but the lawn, with the avenue of fine trees, no longer 
exists." 



56 The Family of William Penn. 

The two children, "William and Mary (or Margaret), were 
twins, and were born February 28, 1673/4. The record of 
the births of all the four, as made by the Friends' Monthly 
Meeting for the Upper Side of Bucks, is as follows : 

"1672, 11 mo. 23: Gulielma Maria Peun, daughter of William & 
Gulielma Maria Penn, born at Rickmansworth, Herts. 

" 1673, 11 mo. 28 : William & Mary Penn, twins, children of William 
& Gulielma Maria Penn, born at Rickmansworth. 

"1675, 11 mo. 25: Springett Penn, son of William and Gulielma 
Maria Penn, born at Walthamstow, Essex, parish of Eickmansworth." ^ 

The registry of the deaths of these children appears in 
the record of Friends' Meeting for the Upper Side of 
Bucks,^ where the death of the first, Gulielma Maria, is 
stated to have occurred First month (March) 17, 1672; of 
William, Third mouth (May) 15, 1674; and of Margaret 
(Mary), Twelfth month (February) 24, 1674, this last being 
(" old style") nine months later than William's death, and 
not three months earlier, as it might appear at first glance. 

Three children had thus been born and had died before 
the birth of Springett Penn. It is Springett who is referred 
to in Penn's account of his return from his religious tour 
in Holland and the Rhine country, in 1677, when he says, 
" The 5th of the next week [November 1] I went to Worm- 
inghurst, my house in Sussex, where I found my dear wife, 
child, and family all well." Worminghurst was part of the 
inheritance of Guli from her father; she and her husband 
appear to have removed to it from Rickmans worth early in 
the year 1677, for in describing his departure for the Conti- 
nental journey, he says, " On the 22d of the Fifth Month 
[July], 1677, being the first day of the week, I left my dear 
wife and family at Worminghurst in Sussex . . . and came 
well to London that night. The next day I employed my- 
self on Friends' behalf that were in sufl'erings [in prison, 

^ From Friends' records at Devonshire House, London, as given by- 
Mr. J. Henry Lea, Penna. Magazine, Vol. XVI. p. 335. 
^ Cited in Coleman's " Pedigree," p. 8. 



The Family of William Penn. 57 

etc.] till the evening, and then went to my own mother's in 
Essex." 1 

Three children of William Penn and his wife were 
living in 1682, when he sailed for Pennsylvania. These 
were Springett, born in 1675 at Waltharastow, as already 
mentioned, and Letitia and William, Jr., born at Worm- 
inghurst. The letter of counsel to his wife and children, 
written by Penn on his departure, is well known, and has 
been many times published. The warmth of his affection 
for his wife appears in one of the first paragraphs : 

" My dear wife I remember thou wast the love of my 
youth, and much the joy of my life ; the most beloved, as 
well as the most worthy of all my earthly comforts : and the 
reason of that love was more thy inward than thy outward 
excellencies, which yet were many. God knows, and thou 
knowest it, I can say it was a match of Providence's 
making ; and God's image in us both was the first thing, 
and the most amiable and engaging ornament in our eyes. 
Kow I am to leave thee, and that without knowing whether 
I shall ever see thee more in this world, take my counsel 
into thy bosom and let it dwell with tbee in ray stead, while 
thou livest." 

But the letter of which this is part was evidently not 
intended for the children, Avhen written, but to be given 
them when they should become old enough to understand 
its import. Springett was then only seven years old, and 
the others younger. There are in the collections of the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania the originals of three 
letters written by Penn to the little children, in a juvenile 
style adapted to their years, — missives of familiar parental 
simplicity. These letters bear the date of August 19, 1682, 

^ Worminghurst descended to William Penn, Jr., as an inheritance 
from his mother, upon her death in 1694. He sold it about 1707, and 
before his death, in 1720, " had probably squandered the proceeds," 
Maria Webb remarks. " The house," she adds, " was situated on an 
eminence overlooking the beautiful south downs of Sussex, and within a 
few miles of the sea. It was razed to the ground long since, and the 
Worminghurst estate absorbed in the domains of the Duke of Norfolk. 
Only the stables now [1867 ?J remain to mark the spot." 



68 The Family of William Penn. 

not quite a fortnight before the "Welcome" left the Downs. 
They are all upon one sheet, and bear the superscription, 
" For Springett Penn, at Worminghurst, Sussex. — By Arun- 
dell Bagg." The letters are here given : 

"My dear Springet 

" Be good, learn to fear God, avoide evil, love thy book, be kind to 
thy Brother and Sister & God will bless thee & I will exceedingly love 
thee, farewell dear child 

" thy dear Father 

"WM Penn. 

" 19th gmo 32." 

" Dear Letitia 

" I dearly love y" & would have thee sober, learn thy book, & love thy 
Brothers. I will send thee a pretty Book to learn in, ye Lord bless 
thee & make a good woman of thee, farewell 

"Thy Dear Father 

" WM Penn. 

" 19th gmo 82." 

" Dear Bille 

" I love thee much, therefore be sober & quiet, & learn his book, I will 
send him one, so y® Lord bless y*. Amen 

" Thy dear father 

" WM Penn." 

One other child, Gulielma Maria, was buried at Jordans 
in 1689, making the fourth then dead. The Surrey and 
Sussex Friends' records (preserved in London) show that 
she was born at Worminghurst, Ninth month (ISTovember) 
17, 1685. The register of burials of the Upper Side of 
Bucks Meeting of Friends shows that she died at Ham- 
mersmith, in Middlesex, Ninth month (ISTovember) 20, 
1689.^ 

Springett Penn died, as has already been mentioned, in 
1696. The memorial of him prepared by his father, " Sorrow 
and Joy in the Loss and End of Springett Penn," is pathetic 
throughout, and in places beautiful, — one of the finest of 
many fine compositions from his hand. It discloses his sad 

^ Cited in Coleman's " Pedigree," p. 8. 



O 

W 

o 

■ > 

CO 




The Family of William Penn. 59 

sense of loss ; it was upon this eldest of his then living 
children that he had evidently placed his hopes. There 
are many touching expressions in the memorial which might 
be quoted, but I confine myself to a few passages which 
suggest the character of the young man and relate to the 
circumstances of his death : 

" My very dear child, and eldest son, Springett Penn, did 
from his childhood manifest a disposition to goodness, and 
gave me hope of a more than ordinary capacity; and time 
satisfied me in both respects. For, besides a good share of 
learning and mathematical knowledge, he showed a judg- 
ment in the use and application of it much beyond his 
years. He had the seeds of many good qualities rising in 
him, that made him beloved and consequently lamented : 
but especially his humility, plainness and truth, with a 
tenderness and softness of nature, which, if I may say it, 
were an improvement upon his other good qualities. . . . 
He desired if he were not to live, that he might go home 
to die there, and we made preparation for it, being twenty 
miles from my house ; for so much stronger was his spirit 
than his body that he spoke of going next day, which was 
the morning he departed, and a symptom it was of his 
greater journey to his longer home. . . . Feeling himself 
decline apace . . . somebody fetched the doctor ; but, as 
soon as he came in, he said, ' Let my father speak to the 
doctor, and I'll go to sleep,' which he did and waked no 
more ; breathing his last upon my breast, the tenth day of 
the second month, between the hours of nine and ten in 
the morning, 1696, in his one and twentieth year. So ended 
the life of my dear child and eldest son, much of my com- 
fort and hope ... in whom I lose all that a father could 
lose in a child, and he was capable of anything that became 
a sober young man, my friend and companion, as well as a 
most aflfectionate and dutiful child." 

Springett died at Lewes, on the south coast, where he 
had been taken, no doubt, for more favorable air and sur- 
roundings. He was buried at Jordans, making the fifth of 
Penn's children then interred there. 



60 The Family of William Penn. 

Preceding Springett three years, his mother, Gulielma 
Maria Penn, had died, February 23, 1693/4. Her death 
occurred at Hoddesdon, in Hertfordshire, to which place, it 
would appear, Penn had gone after being acquitted before 
the King (William HI.) and Council, of Jacobite plotting, 
being thus enabled to quit the seclusion which he had 
maintained for three years. He wrote from " Hodson" 
(Hoddesdon), on the 11th of Tenth month (December), 
1693, to Thomas Lloyd and others at Philadelphia, an- 
nouncing his " enlargement" and the friendliness of the 
King, and added, " From the Secretary, [Sir John Trench- 
ard] I went to our meeting at the Bull and Mouth; thence 
to visit the sanctuary of my solitude ; and after that to see 
my poor wife and children; the eldest [Springett] being 
with me all this while. My wife is yet weakly ; but I am 
not without hopes of her recovery, who is of the best of 
wives and women." 

In the memorial which he prepared of her, " An account 
of the Blessed End of my Dear Wife, Gulielma Maria 
Penn," he says she " departed ... in the fiftieth year of 
her age ; being sensible to the very last. . . . She did, at 
several times, pray very sweetly, and in all her weakness 
manifested the most quiet, undaunted, and resigned spirit, 
as well as in all other respects. She was an excellent 
person, both as wife, child, mother, mistress, friend and 
neighbor. . . . She quietly expired in my arms. ... I hope 
I may say she was a public as well as private loss ; for she 
was not only an excellent wife and mother, but an entire 
and constant friend, of a more than common capacity, and 
greater modesty and humility; yet most equal and un- 
daunted in danger; religious as well as ingenuous, without 
affectation ; an easy mistress and a good neighbor, espe- 
cially to the poor; neither lavish nor penurious; but an 
example of industry, as well as of other virtues : therefore, 
our great loss, though her own eternal gain." 

It would appear that her health had been for some time 
declining, but there seems to be no distinct evidence on 
this point. She was buried at Jordans ground, near her 



The Family of William Penn. 61 

children. She had been nearly twenty-two years married. 
Four of her children were dead, three survived.^ 

Of these three surviving children, Springett, the oldest, 
who died two years later, has been fully mentioned. Le- 
titia, next in age, lived to he an old woman. While a girl, 
she accompanied her father to Pennsylvania in 1699, and is 
often referred to in his letters as " Tishe," — a two-syllabled 
diminutive of her name, more common in old times than 
now. She seems to have been a livel}^ and probably a self- 
willed girl. Her father, writing from Pennsbury to James 
Logan, in July, 1701, just before his final return to England, 
said, " I cannot prevail on my wife to stay, and still less 
with Tishe. I know not what to do. Samuel Carpenter 
seems to excuse her in it; but to all that speak of it, say I 
shall have no need to stay, and a great interest to return." 
And there is the story of Watson " that when she was at 
Thomas Evans's place, at Gwynedd, seeing the men at 
threshing, she desired to try her hand at the use of the 
flail, which to her great surprise brought such a racket 
about her head and shoulders, that she was obliged to run 
into the house in tears, and expose her playful freak to her 
father!" 

Letitia Penn married William Aubrey. The marriage 
seems to have been arranged after her return to England 

^ A portrait of Gulielma Maria Penn, on glass, is described by Maria 
"Webb (note following preface, " Penns and Peningtons") as in the 
possession, 1867, of " the descendants of Henry Swan, of Holmwood, 
Dorking, who died 1796." This picture was engraved for Mrs. Webb's 
book, and its resemblance to the portrait of Hannah Middleton Gurney, 
wife of Joseph Gurney, of Norwich (great-grandparents of Joseph John 
Gurney), known as the " Fair Quakeress," was remarked. Mrs. Webb, 
however, pointed out that while the dresses are precisely alike in the 
two pictures, and there is other resemblance as to the figures, the face* 
differ, and she concluded that the portraits are genuine in each case,. 
and that the engraver of the " Fair Quakeress" picture (Hannah Mid- 
dleton Gurney), working about 1746, had copied the dress of Gulielma:. 
Maria Penn as a contemporary figure. The picture of Gulielma Maria. 
Penn is given in the "Penns and Peningtons" (English edition), and 
that of Hannah Middleton Gurney in A. J. C. Hare's " Gurneys of 
Earlham" (London, 1896). 

5 



62 The Family of William Penn. 

with ber father and step-mother in 1701. A letter from 
Penn to Logan, 3d February, 1701/2, written at Kensington, 
sajs, " My wife and little Johnne well at Bristol. Tishe 
with me." And, writing from London, 21st June, 1702, 
he says, "My wife hitherto is kept by her father p.e,, de- 
tained with him on account of his illness] whence she is 
coming next week to Worrainghurst on my daughter's 
account, in likelihood to marry." A few weeks later the 
arrangements were well forward, for William Penn, Jr., 
wrote to James Logan, from Worminghurst, August 18, 
"I was much surprised at what you told me about my 
sister's engagement to W. Masters, but we find little in it, 
for she has been at the meetings [of the Friends, to ask 
approval and oversight of the marriage, according to their 
rules of discipline] and he was here, but could prove no 
engagement, for it passed the meetings, and she is to be 
married the day after to-morrow." 

The alleged engagement to William Masters (of Phila- 
delphia) referred, no doubt, to some intimate acquaintance 
— of whatever degree — existing during Letitia's visit here. 
Upon her departure for England care had been taken to 
procure for her^ from the monthly meeting of the Friends, 
a certificate that she had " behaved herself here very soberly 
and according to the good instructions which she hath re- 
ceived in the way of truth," etc., and that, as far as they 
knew, she was under no engagement of marriage.^ 

But Logan, who was evidently under the impression that 
Letitia had given William Masters reason to consider her 
pledged to him, wrote to Penn that though he supposed she 
had by that time " changed her name," yet he added, " I 
cannot forbear informing thee of what has been too liberally 
discovered of her, and among the rest by some that signed 
the certificate, viz. : that she was under engagement of mar- 
riage, before she left this place, to William Masters; the 
said signers, upon some unhappy information given them, 
lately expressed so great dissatisfaction at what they had 

^ See a fuller citation of the certificate in Watson's "Annals," Vol. 
II. p. 117. 



The Family of William Penn. 63 

done that it had been proposed to send over and contradict 
or retract it." 

The marriage to William Aubrey took place on the 20th 
of August, 1702. A letter from Penn to Logan, dated at 
London, September 6, says, " My daughter is married next 
Fifth-day will be three weeks. We have brought her home, 
where I write, a noble house for the city, and other things, 
I hope, well. But S. Penington's, if not S. Harwood's, 
striving for William Masters, against faith, truth, and right- 
eousness, will not be easily forgotten, though things came 
honorably off to his and the old envy's [? enemy's] confu- 
sion, his father's friends nobly testifying against the actions 
of both." And William Penn, Jr., in a letter of about 
the same time, wrote Logan, " My sister Letitia has, I be- 
lieve, a very good sort of man, that makes a good husband. 
William Masters, whatever grounds he had for it in Penn- 
sylvania, made a mighty noise here, but it lasted not long." 

The Founder, among his other characteristics, had that 
which is not uncommon with great men, and also small, a 
decided dislike for having his plans crossed, and a strong 
confidence that whoever did so must surely deserve condem- 
nation. In this case it is probable that he would have done 
as well to let Letitia's Philadelphia affair go forward, in- 
stead of nipping it, as he doubtless did. Li all the subse- 
quent history of the Penn family, William Aubrey figures 
solely and entirely as an exacting and unpleasant person. 
His father-in-law's complaints of his demands for money on 
that side, and poor Logan's struggles to meet them on this, 
form a feature of the Penii-Logan letters for years. If it 
were the fact, as seems to be suggested, that her father 
broke off the Philadelphia match and arranged that in 
London, he must have had occasion many times bitterly to 
rue at least the latter portion of the performance. In De- 
cember, 1703, Penn wrote to Logan that he had heretofore 
sent him " three several letters" about " son Aubrey's aftliir," 
the payment to him of one hundred and twenty pounds per 
annum. September 2, 1704, he again writes on the subject of 
*' Son Aubrey's affairs," and adds, " In the mean time both 



64 The Family of William Penn. 

son and daughter clamor, she to quiet him that is a scraping 
man, will count interest for a guinea (this only to thyself), so 
that I would have thee fill his attorney's hands so full as thou 
canst." In 1706, August 14, Logan wrote to Penn, " I know 
not how to behave to W. Aubrey and his wife ; they have never 
wrote since their last angry letter. Please and keep it to 
thyself, for I still honour my young mistress, and would by 
no means break with them." In 1707, June 10, Penn 
writes, " But my son-in-law Aubrey grows very trouble- 
some, because he gets nothing thence [Pennsjdvania] about 
to an open break, did I not bear extremely." Finally, a 
month later, when Logan was preparing to come to Eng- 
and, Penn wrote, July 6, " All our loves are to thee, but 
W. A. a tiger against thee for returns. Come not to him 
empty as thou vainest thy credit and comfort." 

Which quotation will suffice, no doubt, for the subject; 
there are several such passages in the Penn-Logan letters. 

William and Letitia Aubrey had no children. She sur- 
vived him fifteen years. He died about May 21, 1731, as 
he was buried at Jordans May 23 of that year. April 6, 
1746, Letitia's remains were also interred there. The stone 
marking her grave (placed there, with others, by Granville 
Penn, in the present century) bears the name " Letitia 
Penn," instead of Letitia Aubrey. 

There are letters from Letitia among the Penn manu- 
scripts in the collection of the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania, but none that need occupy much of our attention. 
The following, in 1734/5, to her half-brother, John Penn, 
who was then in Penns^dvania, is given as an example : 

LETITIA AUBREY TO JOHN PENN. 

" London ye 23 Jany 1734/5 

"Dear Brother 

"I was very glad of y^ favour of thine, & to hear of your safe arival ; 
that thee found things better y° expected ; y' my Brother Thomas has 
put them upon a better footing y° you heard before thee went. I 
heartily wish all may be settled to your & y* whole familys Comfort ; 
am obliged to thee for thy kind expressions in thy Letter to serve me ; I 
have show'd my nephew what thee writes and believe he will send a 



The Family of William Perm. 65 

Power to end y* vexatious affaire of Mount Joye^ by ye first shipe y* it 
can be gott ready to go by ; J. Logan informs me y' five thousand acres 
of Land talien up in Sr J. Faggs name, now mine, is settled upon in- 
tirely, y' there is not enough left for one plantation, wch I think very 
Strang there is no Law to hinder such things y' every one may enjoye 
theire right; if this be ye case y' I cannot have my land there My re- 
quest is y' I may have it somewhere else, my circumstances v/ill not 
permit my loseing it, also the other five he saith he dont know where to 
take it up y' any will bye it, all wch I intreat thee to Consider me in & 
make it thy own case y" I hope for redress ; thee knows what I have in 
England so leave it. I am very glad to find y' I may expect my money 
so s'one, altho' I canot have it at better interest, nor security any where, 
I am senceable of: I must desier thy assistance in y' affaire of E. 
Ashton, who has never paide me, altho' his promises from time to time to 
my brother ; & also to speak to my Brother about proclamation money 
he wroot me of, wch would be very acceptable to me to receive it ; I 
perceive thee finds it a plentifull & pleasant Country ; but not beyond 
old England. I am with sincere good wishes & Dear Love 

" Thy affect. Sister and true friend 
" Laetitia Aubrey 

" Mary desiers her Eespects may 
be presented to thee." 

(Endorsed: "To John Penn Esq. Propriator of ye Province of Pen- 
silvania att Philadelphia, America. 

"per Captin Richman.") 

Letitia Aubrey's will is dated July 20, 1744; she de- 
scribes herself as of London, widow. At the time of her 
death she lived at Christ Church, Spitalfields. Her will 
contains several specific legacies. To her nephew William 
Penn, 3d, son of her brother William, she gave a silver 
cup and salver, silver teakettle, tortoise-shell cabinet, etc. 
To others she left other pieces of plate, etc., including "a 
broad piece of gold to Eleanor Aubrey, now Clark, niece 

1 The allusion here is to the manor of Mount Joy, part of what is now 
Upper Merion Township, Montgomery County. The manor was given 
Letitia by her father, October 24, 1701, being supposed to be seven 
thousand eight hundred acres, at a yearly rent of one beaver skin. On 
July 10, 1730, William and Letitia Aubrey sold the propei-ty to Sir 
Archibald Grant, " of that part of Great Britain called Scotland." ( Cf. 
article "The Old Iron Forge— 'Valley Forge,'" Penna. Mag., Vol. 
XVII.) I am not able to explain why, if the sale was made to Sir 
Archibald Grant in 1730, there were still perplexities about it in 1734/5. 



66 The Family of William Penn. 

of my late husband, William Aubrey." Remembering her 
great-nieces and nephew, children of her niece Gulielma 
Maria (Penn) Fell (daughter of William Penn, Jr.), she left 
forty pounds to Robert (Edward) Fell; fifty pounds to Mary 
Margaretta, who afterwards married John Barron ; and forty 
pounds to Gulielma Maria Frances, who afterwards married 
John Newcomb. To her nephew William Penn, 3d, she 
bequeathed all her American estate for life ; after his death 
to his daughter Christiana Gulielma, who afterwards mar- 
ried Peter Gaskill. To the " poor women" of Devon- 
shire House Friends' Meeting, Bishopsgate Street, Lon- 
don, she left fifty pounds, — the Friends about that time 
being somewhat pressed in their undertaking to care for 
their poor members. The residue of her estate — which 
after these special gifts must have been small — she left to 
her nephew William Penn, 3d, and his daughter Christiana 
Gulielma.^ 

William Penn, Jr., deserves more full notice than would 
be appropriate in this part of the narrative. We shall 
consider him separately, after speaking of his father's 
second marriage. 

WILLIAM PENN'S CHILDREN BY HIS FIRST MARRIACxE. 

William Penn, Founder of Pennsylvania, married, first, 
at King's Farm, Chorley Wood, Hertfordshire, April 4, 
1672, Gulielma Maria, daughter of Sir William Springett, 
Knight, and his wife Mary (daughter of Sir John Proude, 
Knight). Gulielma Maria Penn was born about the end 
of 1643 or beginning of 1644 (0. S.), and died at Hoddes- 
don, Herts, February 23, 1693/4. Her children by William 
Penn were : 

1. Gulielma Maria, born at Rickmansworth, Herts, Janu- 
ary 23, 1672/3; died there March 17, 1672/3; buried at 
Jordans. 

2. William, born February 28, 1673/4, at Rickmans- 
worth; died there May 15, 1674; buried at Jordans. 

^ These details are from Westcott's "Historic Mansions," pp. 32, 33. 




TLAN OF .lOU'DAXS GROUNDS 
[See references to miinbeied gravos, pp. 75, 81, 2ii7. 



The Family of William Pcnn. 67 

3. Marv, or Maro-aret, twin with William, born at Rick- 
mansw^orth, February 28, 1673/4; died there February 24, 
1674/5 ; buried at Jordans. 

4. Springett, born at Walthamstow, January 25, 1675; 
died at Lewes, April 10, 1696; buried at Jordans; un- 
married. 

5. Letitia, born at Worminghurst, Sussex, March 6, 1678 ; 
married, August 20, 1702, William Aubrey, of London ; 
died without issue, and was buried at Jordans, April 6, 1746. 
William Aubrey was buried at Jordans, May 23, 1731. 

6. William, Jr., born at Worminghurst, March 14, 1680; 
married and had issue. See details later. 

7. Gulielma Maria, born at Worminghurst, November 
17, 1685 ; died at Hammersmith, Middlesex, November 



20, 1689. 



VI. WILLIAM PENN'S SECOND MARRIAGE. 



Two years after the death of his wife, Penn married again. 
His second w^ife, Hannah Callowhill, was the daughter of 
Thomas Callowhill and the granddaughter of Dennis Hol- 
lister, both of Bristol, England, prosperous men of business 
and prominent Friends.^ (Clarkson describes them as " emi- 
nent merchants," and Janney follows this.) A deed of June 
26, 1661, shows the marriage of Thomas Callowhill and 
Hannah Hollister as about occurring, and describes him as 
a "button-maker, sonn and heir of John Callowhill, late of 
said city [Bristol] gent, deceased." Later, in 1682 and 1711, 
other deeds describe Thomas Callowhill as " linen draper," 

^ Dennis Hollister was among the early Friends in Bristol. In 1660 
their meeting was held at his house, and January 15 a party of soldiers 
arrested all present. He was subsequently imprisoned. Thomas Cal- 
lowhill was taken from his house by soldiers, the same year, 1660, " for 
refusing to contribute to the charge of the City Militia," aud suffered 
much in person and estate, later, as a Friend. 

Dennis Hollister is mentioned in the marriage certificate of George 
Fox, 1669. After stating that George Fox and Margaret Fell had twice 
made known their intention of marriage at Broad Mead Meeting, Bris- 
tol, it says, " and the same intentions of Marriage being againe pub- 
lished by Dennis Hollister, at our public Meetinge place aforesaide, on 
the two and twentieth day of the month and year aforesaide," etc. 



68 The Family of William Fenn. 

and this, no doubt, was bis occupation during most of bis 
business life. 

Dennis Hollister was a grocer. He bad four daugbters, 
Hannab, Lydia, Mary, and Pbebe. Hannab married 
Tbomas Callowbill ; Lydia married Tbomas Jordan, a 
grocer; and Mary married Simon Clement, a mercbant. 

Penn, of course, was well acquainted witb families of 
Friends in all parts of England, and doubtless knew tbe 
Callowbills. His courtsbip of Hannab,^ as appears from 
letters preserved among tbe Penn papers of tbe Pennsyl- 
vania Historical Society, was warmly pursued in tbe later 
montbs of 1695. It is probable, but is not clear from tbese 
letters, tbat tbe engagement of marriage bad tben been 
made.^ 

Tbe Bristol records of tbe Friends record tbe birtb of 
Hannab Callowbill, daugbter of Tbomas and Annab {sic), 
of Higb Street, Bristol, Second montb (April) 18, 1664. 
Sbe was, tberefore, nearly tbirty-two years old at tbe time 
of ber marriage. 

ANCESTRY OF HANNAH CALLOWHILL. 

John Callowliill, Dennis Hollister, 

of Bristol, Eng., of Bristol, Eng., 

Gentleman. Grocer. 

Thomas Callowliill, Hannah Hollister 

of Bristol, linen-draper, (eldest of four daughters), 

d. 1712. =z d. 1712. 

Hannah Callowbill 

b. 1664, d. 1726, 

m. (2d wife of) 

William Penn. 

^ Clarkson says, Penn " had long felt an extraordinary esteem" for 
Hannah Callowhill. 

^ The letters preserved (of course by Hannah Callowhill) are some ten 
in number; one or two, though addressed on tbe outside to her father, 
appear to be intended for ber. They convey many ardent representa 
tious of regard, and earnestly urge her not to delay the marriage. Some 
passages suggest tbe thought that tbe wooer was more in love than the 
lady, but we may reflect tbat he was a fluent letter-writer. In one 



The Family of William Penn. 69 

The marriage proceedings were regularly conducted ac- 
cording to the Friends' order, which, newl}- set up in 1672 
when Penn was first married, had now become well settled 
and recognized. The intention of marriage was declared to 
the "men's meeting," at Bristol, N^ovember 11, 1695, and 
the meeting gave leave to proceed, February 24, 1695/6. 
On the 5th of March following the marriage took place. ^ 

The certificate of the marriage follows. I am not aware 
that it has heretofore been published. Penn's biographers 
generally refer to his second marriage, as to his first, quite 
indefinitely, most of them not giving the date : ^ 

[The memorial or copie of the certificate of William Penn's and 
Hannah Callowhill's marriage the certificate itselfe being wrott on a 
pece of Parchment stampt with the five shillings stamp according to 
the stattute.] 

"Jl^bCrCJlS it doth appeare by the Memorialls of the mens meet- 
ing of the people called Quakers in the Citty of Bristoll that William 
Penn of Warminghurst in the County of Sussex Esq and Hannah Cal- 
lowhill daughter of Thomas Callowhill of the Citty of Bristoll Linen 
drap did on the eleaventh day of the ninth month 1695 manifest their 
intentions of marriage. And whereas such their intentions were on 
the ffoure and twentieth day of the eleaventh month in the yeare afore- 
said published in the publique meeting house of the said People in the 
psence of many people there congregated. Now forasmuch as there 
appeares noe just cause wherefore a marriage betwixt the said William 
Penn and Hannah Callowhill should not be consumated. We there- 
letter he says, " This is my eighth letter to thy fourth, since I saw thee." 
A few days later, " This is my tenth letter to thy fourth, which is a dis- 
proportion I might begin a little to reproach thee for, but I do it so 
gently, and with so much affection that I hope it will prevail with thee 
to mend thy pace." One or two letters at the close of the series, just 
before the marriage, discuss details of house-keeping, the style and 
furnishing of a carriage, etc. 

^ The certificate, it will be seen, says " one thousand six hundred 
ninety & j^ve." It is so recorded, but the antecedent dates show that 
it should be ninety-five-sta; (1695/6), It is another of the errors of Cole- 
man's "Pedigree" that he states that this marriage occurred 1699. 

^ Dixon (" Life of Penn," p. 286) says the marriage occurred " in 
January." 



ro 



The Family of William, Penn. 



fore whose names are hereunto subscribed are witnesses that on the day 
of the date hereof the said William Penn taking the said Hannah by 
the hand did declare that he did take the said Hannah Callowhill to be 
his wife. And that the said Hannah holding the said William by the 
hand did declare that she did take the said William Penn to be her 
husband. 

And that also the said William Penn and Hannah Callowhill holding 
each other by the hand did mutually promise each to other to live to- 
gether husband and wife in love & faithfullnes according to God's holy 
ordinance untill by death they shall be separated. And also the said 
William and Hannah as a further testimony of such their taking each 
other & of such their promise to each other have hereunto with us 
subscribed their names this fifth day of the first month in the yeare one 

thousand six hundred ninety & five. 

William Penn 

Hannah Penn. 



George Bowles 
Thomas Sturg 
Alexander Pyot 
Gilbert Thompson 
Thomas Bivin 
John Corke 
Henry Goldney 
Mary Russel 
Elizabeth Goldney 
Sarah Hersent 
Lydia Gregory 
Paul Moon 
Nicho Reist 
Tho : Speed 
Mary Speed 
Tho Lewis 
Alee Cooper 
Katherine Bound 



Joshua Mallet 
John Whiting 
John Clarke 
Nathaniel Wade 
James Stretter 
William Lickfold 
Thamazin Yeamans 
Thomas Jordan 
John Everard 
Abraham Jones 
John Harper 
Hen' Dickinson 
J. Penington 
W. Penington 
Mary Wherly 
Sarah Jones 
Judith Dighton 
Elizabeth Cooke 



Rich Sneade 
Charles Harford 
Benja. Coole 
Richard Vickris 
John Field 
Rog'' Haydock 
John Boulton 
John Vaughton 
John Tompkins 
D. Wherly 
Marg' Duffeild 
Briget Haynes 
Eliz. Penington 
George Diton 
Robert Bound 
Tho Hicks 
John Clement 
James Millard 



Thomas Callowhill 
Anna Callowhill 
Sp ; Penn 
Laetitia Penn 
W™ Penn Jur 
Thomas Harris 
Walter Duffeild 
Phebe Harris 
Mary Clement 
John Lloyd 
George Stephens 
Hump : Crosley 



[Certified to be an Extract from the Register or Eecord numbered 116, 
and entitled a Register of Marriages of the Society of Friends.] ^ 

This certificate suijorests some remark. It will be noticed 
that the contracting parties, the bridegroom and bride, sign 
their names, preceding those of the witnesses. In 1672, as 

' Copy furnished from the General Register Office, Somerset House, 
London, July 4, 1896. 



The Family of William Penn. 71 

will be seen by referring to the Penn-Springett certificate, 
this was not the case, the witnesses only signing. In this 
certificate, also, for some peculiar reason, the record kept 
in London has the signature of Penn and his wife in fac- 
simile, and in the certified copy forwarded me the copyist 
has again cleverly imitated the two signatures. Among 
the witnesses are William Penn's three children, Springett 
(then within a few weeks of his death), Letitia, and William, 
Jr. The bride's father and mother sign, she writing her 
name, it seems, Anna. Thomas Jordan appears, but not his 
wife Lydia, though deeds show her living as late as 1711. 
Mary Clement signs, but her husband Simon is absent. 
Henry Goldney, often referred to in Pennsylvania afi:airs, 
and one of the mortgagees of the Proprietorship later, is a 
signer. He was then living in London ; it was at his house 
in White Hart Court that George Fox died, January 13, 
1690/91.^ 

Penn is described in this certificate as of Worminghurst ; 
that continued to be his home, apparently, until 1697, when, 
his biographers say, he removed to Bristol. In 1699, on the 
3d of September, almost precisely seventeen years after his 
first departure in the " Welcome," he sailed the second time 
for Pennsylvania, in the " Canterbury," accompanied by his 
wife and his daughter Letitia. They reached Chester at the 
end of November, and landed at Philadelphia December 3. 
" My passage was long, three months," Penn wrote in a 
letter to Secretary Vernon, March 10 following, "but 
merciful in that the northwesters had purged this town 
from a distemper that raged two or three months therein, 
brought as believed from Barbadoes, of which 215 died." 

Going first to the large house of Edward Shippen, on 
Second Street, north of Spruce, afterwards called the 
" Governor's House," where they remained about a month, 
Penn and his family then took up their residence in the 
famous house of Samuel Carpenter, the "Slate-Roof House," 
on Second Street, south of Chestnut; and here, on the 29th 
of January (1699/1700), the first child of the Founder, by 
^ Henry Goldney himself died October 6, 1724. — Breviate. 



72 The Family of William Penn. 

his second marriage, was born, — John Penn, known usually 
as " the American," from the fact that he only, of all Wil- 
liam Penn's children, was born on this side of the Atlantic.^ 
A letter from Isaac iN'orris when the boy was past a year 
old, dated at Philadelphia, March 6, 1700/1, says, "The 
Governor, wife and daughter welL . . . Their little son is 
a comely, lovely babe, and has much of his father's grace 
and air, and hope he will not want a good portion of his 
mother's sweetness, who is a woman extremely well beloved 
here, exemplary in her station, and of excellent spirit." 
There are several allusions to the child in his father's letters 
to James Logan, from England, after the family had re- 
turned there. They sailed, on the homeward voyage, in the 
" Dolmahoy," November 3, 1701, and on the 4th of Janu- 
ary, 1701/2, Penn wrote from Kensington (London), " We 
had a swift passage — twenty six days from the Cape to 
soundings, and thirty [to] Portsmouth. . . . Tislie and 
Johnne after the first five days hearty and well, and Johnne 
exceeding cheerful all the way." And in another letter of 
the same date he says, " Wife and father and child are 
going this week for Bristol." February 3 following 
(1701/2) he says, "My wife and little Johnne well at 
Bristol." Again, from London, June 21, 1702, "I bless 
the Lord mine were lately well, my last son thriving much, 
and Johnne perpetually busy in building or play, otherwise 
but when he eats or sleeps, as his mother informs me. I 
have not been with them but seventeen days these five 
months." And a year and a half later the little boy had 
been taught to remember the city of his birth, for a letter 
from his father, written at London, December 4, says, " My 
wife, Johnny, (who is still going to Philadelphia in Penn- 

^ Foot-note iu " Penn-Logan Correspondence," Vol. I., extract from a 
letter: " Third- day, 31st 11 mo., 1699. Our Governor has a son, born 
last First-day night, and all like to do well." The title applied to John 
was early used. Vide letter from Penn to Logan, London, March 10, 
1703/4: "Remember poor Johnnee, the little American, according to 
what I writ, both of his grandfather's lot and land, and what I gave 
him in my former letters." — " Penn-Logan Correspondence," Vol. I. p. 
277. 




JOUX PE\X '■' THE A.AIERK'AX." 



The Family of William Perm. 73 

sylvania), Tommy and Hannah, were also pretty well last 
post." 

The allusions just made, "my last son thriving much" and 
" Tommy and Hannah," signify two more children. They 
were hoth born at Bristol, in the house of their grandfather 
Callowhill. The Friends' records of Bristol Meeting, pre- 
served at Devonshire House, London, show these entries : 

" 1701/2, 1 Mo. [March] 9— Thomas Penu born at dwelling-house of 
Thomas Callowhill, sou of William and Hannah Penn." 

"1703,5 Mo. [July] 30— Hannah Margarita Penn born at Thomas 
Callowhill's in James Parish, daughter of William and Hannah Penn." ' 

John Penn, the son horn at Philadelphia, from these 
references of his father's and from such other evidence as 
we have concerning him, seems to have been a lively and 
well-tempered person. Watson says he "was quite an 
amiable man," and adds that in the estimation of James 
Logan he was " his favorite of all the proprietor's children." ^ 
We may note at this point, since he died unmarried, the 
main facts concerning him. He was in his nineteenth year 
at his father's death, and had spent much of his time, sub- 
sequently to his father's apoplectic stroke in 1712, with his 
mother's relatives at Bristol.^ 

^ Entries cited by J. H. Lea, Penna. Mag., Vol. XVI. p. 334.— An 
allusion is made in a letter of Penn to Logan, from London, June 6, 
1703: "... My poor wife going down to-morrow to Bristol to lie in." 
Again, in a letter to Logan from Worminghurst, August 27, 1703 : " I 
came from Bristol three weeks ago, and was there but about fourteen or 
sixteen days, on occasion of my wife's lying in, who this day month 
[four weeks] was brought to bed of a daughter, whom we call Hannah 
Margarita. They with my two sons were lately well, and so am I, bless 
God, at present." 

^ " Annals," Vol. L p. 116. 

3 Watson says of John ("Annals," Vol. I. p. 116), "He had been 
brought up in Bristol, in England, with a cousin, as a merchant in the 
linen trade, a situation in which he gave his parents much satisfac- 
tion." The latter clause of this statement could refer only to his 
mother, as he was but twelve years old at the time of his father's dis- 
ability. There are a number of references in Hannah Penn's letters, in 
1716 and 1717, to his being at Bristol. 



74 The Family of William Penn. 

Following the authority of his father's will, his mother, 
by " a deed of appointment," in ]!Tovember, 1718, " directed 
and appointed" that John should receive one-half of the 
Proprietary estate in Pennsylvania, the three lower counties, 
and "elsewhere in America." He seems to have taken his 
heirship, with the subsequent development of its great value, 
cheerfully and without appearance of pride, and to have 
borne himself kindly towards his younger brothers. He 
came to Pennsylvania in September, 1734, landing at 
Chester, in company with his sister Margaret and her 
husband Thomas Freame, and was ceremoniously welcomed 
at Philadelphia on the 20th of the month. He remained 
here a year, returning in September, 1735, to attend to the 
litigation with Lord Baltimore over the Maryland boundary. 
For some years before his visit here he had a country place 
at Feens, near Maidenhead, in Berkshire, and maintained 
there what seems to have been a modest bachelor establish- 
ment. His death occurred October 25, 1746. He was 
buried at Jordans. The journal of Rebekah Butterfield 
says,i— 

"5th of 9th Month November 1746, Daniel Bell, Isaac Sharpies, and 
Sarah Holland were at y" burial of John Penn at Jordans. S. H. lodged 
at A. B. [Abraham Butterfield's]. Y^ rest went away. There was y® 
Herse, seven Coches, and two Chaises. It was a large Meetting." 

And in another part of her journal she had inserted an 
extract from a local newspaper, the Oxford Flying Weekly 
Journal, of J^ovember 1, 1746, as follows: 

"On Tuesday night last, being the 25th of October, after a long and 
painful illness, which was borne with the greatest fortitude, resignation, 
and cheerfulness, died at Hitcham, in the County of Bucks, John Penn, 
Esq., the eldest of the surviving sons of William Penn, Esq., late Pro- 
prietary of the province of Pennsylvania; a gentleman who, from his 
strict justice and integrity, the greatness of his mind, his universal 
benevolence to all mankind, and his many other amiable qualities, 
was a worthy successor to his great father. In his life he was highly 
esteemed by all who knew him, and his death is as generally lamented. 
He dying without issue, his estate in Pennsylvania descends to his next 

^ Cited by Summers, "Jordans and the Chalfonts," p. 248. 



The Family of William Penn. 75 

brother, Thomas Penn, Esq., who for many years resided in that prov- 
ince for carrying on the settlement thereof, upon the foundation which 
was laid by their father." 

Mr. Summers says, in his " Memories of Jordans and 
the Chalfonts" (p. 269), " In a plan of Jordans hurying 
ground, made by John Wilkinson, of Wycombe, from the 
original by Rev. B. Anderson, Vicar of Penn (who obtained 
the information from Prince Butterfield in 1798), and now 
in possession of Mr. J. J. Green, it is distinctly stated that 
the grave opposite Isaac Pennington's is that of ' William 
Penn's son John,' not of John Pennington, as stated on the 
stone. This is confirmed in Wilson Armistead's ' Select 
Miscellanies,' 1851, Vol. VI. p. 160. It also states that 
Margaret Freame's son Thomas is buried in the same grave 
with his mother." 

John Penn died unmarried, and left his one-half interest 
in Pennsylvania and the lower counties to his brother 
Thomas for life, giving Thomas thus a three-fourths in- 
terest. There is a portrait of John Penn, by Sir Godfrey 
Kneller, in the Philadelphia Library. 

Penn's residence, after his return from America, in 1701, 
was for a time at lodgings at Kensington, but his wife no 
doubt spent a good deal of her time at her father's house in 
Bristol. Leaving Kensington, the biographical sketch pre- 
fixed to his " Select Works" says " he removed to Knights- 
bridge, over against Hyde-Park corner, where he resided 
for some years.^ In the year 1706 he removed with his 

^ Describing Norfolk Street, Strand, built about 1682 on part of old 
Arundel House, Wheatley and Cunningham's London Past and 
Present" (London, 1891) cites (Vol. II. p. 601) the following from 
Hawkins's " Life of Johnson" : 

" The last house at the south-west corner of the street was formerly 
the habitation of the famous William Penn, of whom it is well-known 
that his circumstances at a certain period of his life were so involved 
that it was not safe for him to go abroad. He chose the house as one 
from whence he might, upon occasion, slip out by water. In the en- 
trance to it he had a peeping-hole, through which he could see any 
person that came to him. One of these who had sent in his name, 
having been made to wait more than a reasonable time, knocked for the 



76 The Family of William Penn. 

family to a convenient habitation, about a mile from Brent- 
ford, and eight from London, where he dwelt some years. . . . 
In the year 1710, the air near London not being agreeable 
to his declining constitution, he took a handsome seat at 
Rushcorab, near Twyford, in Buckinghamshire,^ \_sic'] where 
he had his residence during the remainder of his life." 

The fourth child of Penn by his second marriage was 
Maro-aret. The Bristol Friends' records show : 

" 1704, 9th Mo. [November] 7, Margaret Penn, born at Thomas Cal- 
lowhill's, in James Parish, daughter of William and Hannah Penn." 

Margaret lived to grow up, and married Thomas Freame. 
There are extant lively letters from her to her brother 
Thomas, written a few years later, to which we must refer 
in a chapter on the family life at Ruscombe after Penn's 
disability. Just before Margaret's birth, in a letter of her 
father to Logan, dated at Bristol, October 7 (1704), he says, 
"Herself [the wife of William Penn, Jr.] and the three 
pretty children are all pretty well, for aught I hear, as 
through the Lord's mercy my three also are, and myself as 
well as my circumstances will admit; but my family in- 
creases apace, which I account a mercy, and yet it some- 
times makes me thoughtful when I look forward." 

The fifth child was Richard. The Bristol Friends' records 
show his birth at his grandfather's, in Bristol : 

" 1705/6, nth Mo. [January] 17, Richard Penn, born at Thomas Cal- 
lowhill's, son of William and Hannah Penn." 

servant, whom he asked, ' Will not thy master see me?' ' Friend,' an- 
swered the servant,'' he has seen thee, but he does not like thee.' The 
fact was that Penn had, from his station, taken a view of him, and 
found him to be a creditor." 

This story, if authentic at all, seems to me quite as likely to belong 
to the period, in 1691, after the accusation by the " informer" Fuller, 
when Penn found it most prudent to go into retirement. He remained 
in London much if not all of the time, and very likely declined to see 
troublesome visitors. 

^ Ruscombe was in Berks, about six miles from Reading. It is curious 
that a narrative of Penn's life, prepared not long after his death, should 
make the error of locating it in Buckinghamshire. 



The Family of William Penn. 77 

The sixth child was Dennis. He was born at Ealing, 
near London, — the residence spoken of above as "a mile 
from Brentford." The Friends' records for London and 
Middlesex show : 

"1706/7, 12th Mo. [February] 26, Dennis Penn, born at Ealing, 
county of Middlesex, son of "William Penn, gent., and Hannah Penn, 
of Worminghurst." 

The six children, until the death of Hannah Margarita, a 
year after Dennis's birth, were all living and doing well. 
There are numerous allusions to them in the Penn-Logan 
letters. Isaac ISTorris, writing from London, March 3, 1706/7, 
says, "He [William Penn] had appointed a day for my 
attendance, but did not come, being hindered by the birth 
of another son, as I since hear, about Fourth-day last. She 
[H. P.] lies in at Ealing, about eight miles off, and he's 
there." Thomas Callowhill writes from Bristol, March 23, 
1706/7, to James Logan, " I received letters this week from 
both the Proprietor and my daughter. They are both and 
their family in pretty good health — she scarce got out of her 
confinement, for she was delivered of a son named Dennis, 
not a full month since. She has now four sons and two 
daughters — I bless God, healthy and hopeful. They are 
living at a place called Ealing, near London." 

Dennis Penn was named for his mother's grandfather, 
Dennis Hollister, of Bristol. He survived his father, and 
was assigned by his mother, in her deed in 1719, a share of 
the Pennsylvania property. He died, however, in his mi- 
nority, in January or February, 1722/3. The " Breviate" in 
the Boundary Case states ^ that his death occurred February 
6, 1722. Rebekah Butterfield's journal gives the date of his 
burial at Jordans ground as January 8, 1722/3. One or 
the other account is wrong a month. 

Hannah Margarita, the third child, born at Bristol (as 
above) July 30, 1703, died at Bristol in February or March,. 
1707/8, while her father was in prison in London. A letter 
from Isaac Norris to James Logan, dated at London, March 

' " Pennsylvania Archives," 2d series, Vol. XVI. p. 440. 

6 



78 The Family of William Penn. 

6, 1707/8, says, " Our Proprietor and Governor is still in 
the Fleet, good lodgings, has meetings there, is often visited, 
and lives comfortably enough for the circumstance. Their 
daughter Hannah is dead at Bristol."^ 

And not only the death of this favorite child, but the 
birth of one more, making seven children of his second 
marriage, — as there had been seven of the first, — occurred 
while Penn was still in confinement. This last child, named 
Hannah, for her mother, was born in London ; she lived but 
a few months. The Friends' records give both her birth 
and death. Those for London and Middlesex show : 

" Hannah Penn, born Seventh mo. [September] 5, 1708, Parish of 
Ludgate, City of London, daughter of William, Esquire, and Hannah." 

And the records for the Upper Side of Bucks show : 

"Hannah Penn, daughter of William Penn, late of Worminghurst, 
in the County of Sussex, England, and Hannah, his wife, departed this 
life at Kensington, in the county of Middlesex, on the four and twentieth 
day of the eleventh month, one thousand seven hundred and eight, 
[January 24, 1708/9], and was buried at New Jordans, aforesaid."* 

A letter from Penn to Logan, sent over by Governor 
Gookin, and dated at London, September 29, 1708 (a few 
ilays before his release from the Fleet prison upon the com- 
promise of the Ford claim), says, " My poor wife had a 
-quick and easy time for her last child-bearing, almost a 
j]ionth since, and has a daughter of her own name, in the 
;room of an excellent child [Hannah Margarita] that died 
ilast spring, the love and admiration of all that knew her." 
And a few weeks later, December 29, 1708, writing again 
to Logan, he says, "My poor wife is better, that has been 
ill to a dangerous circumstance. All mine by her are well, 
which are six in number, thro' mercy, and so is my son 
Penn now, though dubious a month ago, and my daughter 
Aubrey, but my son's wife is at present out of order." 

^ Cf. foot-note by Deborah Logan, "Penn-Logan Correspondence," 
Vol. I. p. 206. 
^ Cited in Coleman's " Pedigree," p. 8, 



The Family of William Penn. 79 

The five children who survived, after the death of Hannah 
(as above) in January, 1708/9, were all living when their 
father died in 1718 : John, Thomas, Margaret, Richard, and 
Dennis. Of John we have alread}^ spoken. Thomas and 
his family must be treated of at length. Margaret, as here- 
tofore mentioned, married Thomas Freame. The marriage 
took place in 1727. An allusion in the "Breviate" of the 
Boundary Case (" Pennsylvania Archives," 2d series. Vol. 
XVL p. 443), where she is quoted as a party, July 5, 1727, 
to " a family deed of indenture sextipartite," ^ says she joined 
in its execution with Thomas Freame, " whom she was then 
going to marry." 

Among the Penn family letters in the collections of the 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania is one from London, 
May 7, 1723, from Thomas Freame to John Penn. It be- 
gins "Dear John," is deferential and polite in tone, and 
uses the Friendly expressions "thee," "thy," etc. The 
writer had apparently been at Ruscombe, and had been ill 
there. He says, " Pray give my kind regards to thy sister 
Peggy." This may have been the beginning of the court- 
ship. Letters from Thomas Penn to John Penn (Margaret's 
brothers), October 25 and 31, 1727, refer to Thomas Freame 
as if married to Margaret, and in May, 1728, a letter suggests 
the expectation of a child. 

The Freames came to Philadelphia with John Penn in 
September, 1734, and appear to have lived here for some 
years. Thomas Freame's name appears in the list of the 
captains of the seven companies raised in Pennsylvania in 
1740 to take part in the expedition under Wentworth and 
Vernon, which made the futile attack on Carthagena, in 
Spanish South America, in March, 1741. A daughter of 
the Freames, Philadelphia Hannah, was born in Philadel- 
phia ^ in 1746, and married, May 8, 1770 (being his second 

1 The six parties were John, Thomas, and Richard Penn, Margaret 
Penn (jointly with Thomas Freame), and two trustees, Joseph Wyeth 
and Sylvan us Bevan. 

* John Jay Smith's address, November 18, 1867. Introduction to 
" Penn-Logan Correspondence," Vol. I. p. 32. 



80 The Family of William Penn. 

wife), Thomas Dawson, an Irish gentleman, who in 1770 
was made Baron Dartrey, and in 1785 Viscount Cremorne, 
both in the Irish peerage, the latter honor being " of Castle 
Dawson, County Monaghan, Ireland." He died 1813, and 
the viscounty expired with him, as he left no descendants. 
The barony (Cremorne), however, was continued by a great- 
nephew, Richard Dawson, created Earl of Dartrey, 1866. 
He' was a lord-in-waiting to the Queen 1857-58 and 
1859-66. John Jay Smith spoke of him (1867) as a " noble- 
man of large income," and "in high favor." Viscount 
Cremorne's wife (Philadelphia Hannah) died in 1826, Cole- 
man's " Pedigree" says. The famous Cremorne Gardens, 
in London, on the Thames, occupied a site which Viscount 
Cremorne bad owned, and where he had resided.^ " There 
was a lovely portrait of Philadelphia Hannah Penn, Lady 
Cremorne, in the great north room of Stoke,^ painted by 
Sir Joshua [Reynolds], and one of the last acts of the late 
Mr. [Granville John] Penn was the presentation of this 
portrait, and that of her husband, to Earl Dartrey. Some 
of the Cremorne furniture and china and plate was at 
Pennsylvania Castle in 1865."^ 

A child of the Freames (Thomas) was buried at Jordans 
August 2, 1746. Margaret Freame was buried there Feb- 
ruary 12, 1750/L Rebekah Butterfield's journal contains 
these entries : 



" 2nd of 6th Month August 1746, Benjamin Holmes, Thomas White- 
head, and William Penton was at y® burial of Thomas Freame, grandson 
to our friend William Penn, at Jordans." 

"12th of 12th Month, 1750, [February 12, 1750/51] Daniel Bell and 
Jane Hoskins, of Peusilvania, was at y*^ burial of Margrate Frame. 

^ In 1825 the property belonged to Granville Penn. — Wheatley and 
Cunningham's " London." 

^ Residence of John Penn, son of Thomas (nephew of Margaret 
Freame, first cousin of Philadelphia Hannah), Stoke Poges, Bucks, 
England. To be spoken of more particularly later. 

^ J. J. Smith's address. — Pennsylvania Castle, to be hereafter referred 
to, was a residence of John Penn, son of Thomas, on the island of Port- 
land, near the Isle of Wight. 



The Family of William Penn. 81 

There was a hearse and seven Coaches in all. They went away after 
Meetting from Jordans." ' 

The stone over her grave is believed to be the one (placed 
with the others in recent time) marked " Mary Frame." 

liichard Penn and his family must be spoken of at length 
later. The death of Dennis Penn, the fifth of the children 
of "William Penn by the marriage we are now describing, 
has been mentioned. 

The apoplectic stroke which disabled William Penn oc- 
curred at Bristol on the 4th of October, 1712.^ He was 
writing an earnest letter to Logan, some passages of which 
may be here cited. After impressively urging Logan " to 
move all springs that may deliver me from my present 
thraldom" of money troubles, he refers to a plan he had 
entertained of assigning his proprietary patent to trustees, 
for the maintenance of a government which would protect 
the Friends in Pennsylvania, and plaintively adds, "But I 
am not to be heard, either in civils or spirituals, till I am 
dead." Other passages follow : 

" I am now to tell thee that both my daughter and son 
Aubrey are under the greatest uneasiness about their money, 
which I desire, as well as allow thee, to return per first [op- 
portunity] ... I have paid William Aubrey, (with a mad 
bullying treatment from him into the bargain), but [? about] 
£500, which with several hundreds paid at different times 

^ These citations from Butterfield MSS., in " Jordans and the Chal- 
fonts," pp. 248, 250. 

" The time of this stroke is precisely fixed by the date of Penn's letter 
to Logan, cited iu Janney's " Life of Penn" (p. 525), with Hannah's 
postscript to it, also dated. Maria Webb says (" Penns and Peuingtons," 
p. 426, Philadelphia edition) that it occurred "on the 24th of Fifth 
month," — i.e., July, — and Summers has followed this ("Jordans and the 
Chalfonts," p. 224). And I regret to say that in the " Memorial History 
of Philadelphia," Vol. I. p. 173, I have said that it occurred on the 4th 
of August, my mistake being that I took " Eighth month," with which 
Penn's date begins, in its modern form. (Hannah's postscript is dated 
" 13th 8ber," which I did not note.) In a foot-note to this present 
essay (p. 13) I have followed Maria Webb's authority, and said the 
seizure occurred July 24! Thus are errors repeated when once com- 
mitted. 



82 The Family of William Penn. 

to him here makes near £1100, besides what thou hast sold 
and put out to interest there, — which is so deep a cut to nie 
here, — and nothing but my son's [Aubrey probably] tem- 
pestuous and most rude treatment of my wife and self too, 
should have forced it from me. 

" I writ to thee of our great and unhappy loss and revo- 
lution at Bristol, by the death of our near and dear friends, 
father and mother Callowhill ; so shall only say he has left 
all his concerns in America to poor John, who had almost 
followed his grandfather, and who by his sorrow at his 
death and burial, and also by his behaviour since, has jus- 
tified my special regards to him, as of an uncommon char- 
acter and capacity. Now, through the Lord's mercy, he is 
on the recovery, as I now likewise am, by the same Divine 
goodness; for I have been most dangerously ill at London." 

A few sentences followed, and then, in the midst of one, 
his pen stopped : he had sustained a second stroke of apo- 
plexy. October 13, Hannah Penn added on the other side 
of her husband's letter a pathetic postscript to Logan : " The 
enclosed my poor husband wrote, but had not time to finish 
before he was taken ill with a second fit of his lethargic 
illness, like as about six months ago, at London ; which has 
been no small addition to my late most severe exercises. 
But it has pleased the Lord, in the midst of judgments to 
show us mercy, in the comfortable prospect of his recovery, 
though as yet but weak. And I am ordered by the doctors 
to keep all business from him until he is stronger. . . ."* 

February 5, 1712/13, Hannah Penn again wrote to Logan, 
from Ruscombe, where, as already mentioned, the family 
home had been fixed in 1710. Her husband, she says, 
recovered from the seizure at Bristol, " so as by easy jour- 
neys to reach London, and endeavored to settle some aflairs, 
and get some laws passed for that country's [Pennsylvania's] 
ease; but finding himself unable to bear the fatigues of the 
town, he just reached Ruscombe when he was seized with 
the same severe illness that he has twice before labored 
under. And though, by the Lord's mercy, he is much 
^ These letters in full in Janney's "Penn," pp. 525, 526. 



The Family of William Perm. 83 

better than he was, and in a pretty hopeful way of recovery, 
yet I am forbid by his doctors to trouble him with any 
business till better." 

These three strokes of apoplexy — the first in London, in 
the spring of 1712; the second at Bristol, in October; the 
third at Ruscombe, probably in January — permanently dis- 
abled Penn's mental powers, and left his physical strength 
so shattered that he gradually declined until his death at 
Ruscombe, July 30, 1718. The "Life" prefixed to his 
" Select Works" describes the closing six years as " a con- 
tinual and gradual declension." The sale of his proprietary 
rights in Pennsylvania to the Crown, begun before the first 
stroke, was suspended and never completed, the Crown 
lawyers advising that he was incompetent for so important 
an act. His will he had made in London in the early part 
of 1712, at the time of a severe illness, — probably the first 
stroke of apoplexy, though in the codicil to the will, added 
at Ruscombe, May 27 of that year, he says it — the former 
— was made " when ill of a feavour at London." 

The condition of Penn's health, though year by year it de- 
clined, permitted him to go about for some time. Hannah 
Penn wrote to Logan, February 16, 1713/14, that " he was at 
Reading [Friends'] meeting last First-day, as also two or 
three times before, and bore it very comfortably, and ex- 
pressed his refreshment and satisfaction in being there." A 
visitor in the spring of 1713 " found him to appearances pretty 
well in health, and cheerful of disposition, but defective in 
memory . . . nor could he deliver his words so readily as 
heretofore." A year later the same visitor " found him 
very little altered." He " accompanied him in his carriage 
to Reading meeting," where he rose up " to exhort those 
present," and spoke " several sensible sentences, though not 
able to say much," and on leaving the meeting took " leave 
of his friends with much tenderness." Thomas Story, in 
the autumn of 1714, found him with "his memory almost 
quite lost, the use of his understanding suspended. . . . 
iTevertheless no insanity, no lunacy, at all appeared in his 
actions, and his mind was in an innocent state. . . . That 



84 The Family of William Penn. 

he had a good sense of Truth is plain by some very clear sen- 
tences ... he spoke in an evening meeting we had together 
there; ... so that I was ready to think this was a sort of 
sequestration of him from all the concerns of this life which 
so much oppressed him, not in judgment, but in mercy, that 
he might have rest, and not be oppressed thereby to the end." 

The " visitor" spoken of above again came to Ruscombe 
in 1715 and the two following years. In 1715 he found 
Penn's memory more deficient, " but his love and sense of 
religious enjoyments apparently continued, for he still often 
went in his chariot to the meeting at Reading, and there 
sometimes uttered short but very sound and savoury ex- 
pressions. . . . This year he went to Bath, but the waters 
there proved of no benefit." In 1716 the visitor found 
him "much weaker than last year;" he could not remember 
the names of those who called, " yet by his answers it 
appeared he knew their persons." In 1717 he " found his 
understanding so much weakened that he scarce knew his 
old acquaintances ; and his bodily strength so much decayed 
that he could not well walk without leading, nor express 
himself intelligibly." 

In February, 1714/15, Hannah Penn wrote to Logan that 
" he has had two or three little returns of his paralytic dis- 
order, but I thank the Lord it went off", and he is now in 
pretty good health, not worse in his speech than for some 
months past, nor can I say he is better; but w^hen I keep 
the thoughts of business from him he is very sweet, com- 
fortable and easy, and is cheerfully resigned to the Lord's 
will, and yet takes delight in his children, his friends, and 
domestic comforts as formerly." 

He must have been still in such condition of body and 
mind in 1716 as to be thought capable of signing the com- 
mission to Governor Keith, when he was sent out to super- 
sede Governor Gookin, for the record made by the Council 
at Philadelphia, upon its reception, was, that it was " from 
the Proprietor."^ Hannah Penn, however, in her letter of 
reproof to Keith, May 20, 1723, used the expression, "As 
' "Colonial Kecords," Vol. III. p. 1. 



The Family of William Penn. 85 

thou wert chosen in the time of my husband's weakness, by 
means of his friends only, to that important trust," etc. 
In March, 1717, about a year and a half before his death, 
Hannah Penn wrote to Logan that she had continued to 
live for three or four years at Ruscombe, which was a large 
house, and carried a heavy rent, solely on her husband's 
account, " for he has all along delighted in walking and 
taking the air here, and does still, when the weather allows, 
and at other times diverts himself from room to room," 
etc. 

After Penn's death, about 1730, a man named Henry 
Pickworth, for some object (as Penn's friends thought, 
mere malevolence), asserted that Penn had died insane at 
Bath. Joseph Besse, the author subsequently of the well- 
known work, the " Sufferings" of the Friends, published 
a refutation of the story, and cited the testimony of Simon 
Clement (Hannah Penn's brother-in-law, husband of her 
sister Mary). Clement's statement, in brief, was that in 
all his illness Penn never had any symptoms of insanity. 
" He was indeed attacked with a kind of apoplectic fit in 
London, in the month of May, 1712, from which he re- 
covered, and did go to the Bath, and from thence to Bristol, 
where he had a second fit about September [October ?] 
following; and in about three months after he had the 
third fit at his own house at Rushcomb, which impaired 
his memory [etc.] . . . But ... so far from any show of 
lunacy . . . his actions were regular and orderly, and 
nothing appeared in his behaviour but a loving, meek, 
quiet, easy temper, and a childish innocence," etc. 

Penn was near the completion of his seventy-fourth year 
when he died. The close came between two and three 
o'clock in the morning of July 30, 1718. He was buried 
on the 5th of August at the Jordans ground, where his 
dust remains. Thomas Story's journal gives a few details 
relating to his death and funeral : 

" We arrived at Ruscombe late in the evening, where we 
found the widow and most of the family together. Our 
coming occasioned a fresh remembrance of the deceased, 

7 



86 The Family of William Penn, 

and also a renewed flood of many tears from all eyes. . . . 
On the 5th I accompanied the corpse to the grave, where 
we had a large meeting," etc. 

Rebekah Butterfield's journal says the burial was in the 
presence of " twenty or thirty publick Friends [i.e., min- 
isters] and a vast number of Friends and others." 

The ground at Jordan s has been repeatedly described by 
visitors, and pictures of it showing the stones that now 
mark the graves are numerous. One of these views is 
given as an illustration to Mr. George L. Harrison's report 
(1882) of his visit to England, by authority of Governor 
Hoyt, of Pennsylvania, to procure approval of the proposi- 
tion to remove the remains of William Penn to Philadelphia 
for reinterment. The stones are, unfortunately, in several 
particulars wrongly lettered. That of Letitia Aubrey is 
marked " Letitia Penn." The death of Gulielma Maria 
Penn is given as 1689, that being the time of the death of 
the last child of Penn's first marriage. Margaret Freame 
is marked " Mary Frame." And, as already mentioned, 
the grave marked " John Penington, 1710," is believed to 
be that of John Penn, " the American," who died 1746. 

Prince Butterfield, brother to Rebekah, whose memo- 
randa concerning burials at Jordans and other Quaker 
events are esteemed a valuable source of our modern 
knowledge, informed the sometime vicar of Penn, the Rev. 
B. Anderson, that, " contrary to the rest, William Penn's 
head lies to the south, and the remains of his second wife, 
Hannah Penn, are laid upon his ; also that he [P. B.] saw 
William Penn's leaden coffin when the grave was opened 
to bury his second wife." 

It appears by Penn's interrupted letter, October, 1712, 
that Thomas Callowhill and his wife had then recently died. 
It is evident that Thomas Callowhill was not only a valu- 
able friend to his son-in-law, but also a useful citizen of 
Bristol. An earlier letter from Penn to Logan, dated at 
London, January 16, 1704/5, says, " and if my wife's mother 
should die, who is now very ill, I believe not only my wife 
and our young stock, but her father too, would incline 



The Family of William Penn. iSY 

thither [Pennsylvania]. He has been a treasure to Bristol, 
and given his whole time to the service of the poor Friends' 
funds, till they made eight per cent, of their money, and 
next the city poor, where, by act of Parliament he has been 
kept in [office] beyond form, he has so managed to their 
advantage that the city Members gave our Friends, and my 
father[-in-law] in particular, an encomium much to their 
honor, in the House." ^ 



WILLIAM PENN's CHILDREN BY HIS SECOND MARRIAGE. 

William Penn, the Founder, married, second, at Bristol, 
March 5, 1695/6, Hannah, only daughter and child of 
Thomas Callowhill and his wife Hannah (daughter of 
Dennis Hollister). Hannah Penn was born April 18, 
1664, at Bristol, and died December 20, 1726, and was 
buried (in the same grave with her husband) at Jordans. 
Her children by William Penn were : 

1. John, "the American," born at Philadelphia, Janu- 
ary 29, 1699/1700; died unmarried at Hitcham, Bucks, 
England, October 25, 1746 ; buried at Jordans, November 5. 

2. Thomas, born at Bristol, England, March 9, 1701/2; 
married and had issue. See details later. 

3. Hannah Margarita, born at Bristol, England, July 30, 
1703 ; died at Bristol in February or March, 1707/8. 

4. Margaret, born at Bristol, England, November 7, 
1704; married, 1727, Thomas Freame, and had issue: 
(1) Thomas, buried at Jordans, 1746; (2) Philadelphia 
Hannah (said to have been born at Philadelphia, 1746, and 
to have died 1826), who married Thomas Dawson, created 
Viscount Cremorne ; and perhaps others. Margaret Freame 
died in February, 1750/51, and was buried at Jordans on 
the 12th of that month. 

5. Kichard, born at Bristol, England, January 17, 1705/6 ; 
married and had issue. See details later. 

6. Dennis, born at Ealing, Middlesex, England, February 

' " Penn-Logan Correspondence," Vol, I. p. 355. 



88 The Family of William Penn. 

26, 1706/7; died, unmarried, February 6 (or January?), 
1722/3, and was buried at Jordan s. 

7. Hannah, born in Ludgate Parish, London, September 
5, 1708; died at Kensington, January 24, 1708/9, and was 
buried at Jordans. 

VII. FAMILY LIFE AT RUSCOMBE. 

From 1710 until after William Penn's death in 1718, the 
home of the family was at Ruscombe, a place in Berkshire, 
near Twyford. It was rented by Penn, and from an expres- 
sion in a letter of Hannah Penn, already cited, the house 
seems to have been a large and expensive one. Like most of 
the houses in which the Founder had his home in the course 
of his life, Ruscombe has been entirely destroyed. The 
traveller by rail from London to Reading now passes over 
the spot where it stood, " in the last deep cutting between 
Maidenhead and Twyford, on the Great Western Railway." 

The Penn papers in the collections of the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania include a number of letters, mostly 
from Hannah Penn to her son Thomas, which have interest 
for us in studying the family life at this period. They dis- 
close many details in the experience of such a family as the 
Penns, in the time of George I., at a country mansion in 
England. The letters are, it is true, quite incomplete, some 
of them are occupied with matters comparatively trivial, 
and the view they give us is but fragmentary, yet their 
contents, simple and without concealment, are authentic and 
trustworthy as far as they go, and, taken in connection with 
the facts which we already know, they throw a fresh and 
fuller light on our subject. 

The family at Ruscombe, in the period we speak of, in- 
cluded Penn until his death, his wife and her five children 
(until John was sent to -business at Bristol and Thomas to 
London), and during much of the time the wife and children 
of William Penn, Jr. These, with the several servants usual 
in an English house like Ruscombe, made a large household, 
and there were no doubt frequent visitors. The head of the 
house, after her husband's paralytic stroke, was Hannah 



The Family of William Penn. 89 

Penn. Fortunately for them all, she brought to her hard 
place a large ability. The heiress of a prosperous merchant, 
she had been reared in the somewhat austere community of 
Friends at Bristol to habits of business industry. Long 
before her day the writer of the Hebrew Proverbs had 
described such a woman : 

" She is like the merchant-ships ; 
She bringeth her food from afar. 
She riseth also while it is yet night, 
And giveth meat to her household, 
And their task to her maidens. . . . 
Her lamp goeth not out by night. 
She layeth her hands to the distaff. 
And her hands hold the spindle. . . . 
She looketh well to the ways of her household, 
And eateth not the bread of idleness." 

Her situation was indeed very difficult. The deaths of 
both her parents had but a short time preceded the dis- 
ability of her husband. His affairs, public and private, were 
sadly embarrassed. Pennsylvania was mortgaged, and the 
great movement of German settlers, by which the lands were 
rapidly taken up and the financial condition of the Penns 
improved, had but fairly begun. Besides the care of her 
own children, and her concern for their future, she had also 
her anxieties for the wife and children of her step-son, who 
were practically abandoned to her care. William Penn, Jr., 
seems to have been himself seldom at the house. In 1714 
Hannah wrote, " I have not seen him this half year, nor has 
he seen his father these eighteen months." 

Her Bristol relatives gave her their firm support. John 
was sent, as already mentioned, to live there and become a 
merchant. Simon Clement, her aunt Mary's husband, was 
one of her valued advisers. Her own marriage settlement, 
reserved for her private use, had been, drawn upon to assist 
in sustaining the family fortunes.^ 

1 This may have occurred considerably earlier. Penn, in a letter to 
Logan, 10th of Third month, 1705, says, " They [Hannah's children] 
bought dearly what they had [iu Pennsylvania] their mother lending 



90 The Family of William Penn. 

Thomas Penn went up to London late in 1715 or early 
in 1716, to enter a business career. He was then but a lad, 
— in the latter year fourteen years old, — yet his mother seems 
to have relied upon his services in a marked degree. It 
seems probable that he was his mother's own son, with her 
business energy and capacity, an inheritance from the Bristol 
merchants. Her letters to him are addressed, in 1716, " at 
Michael Russell's, Mercer, in White Hart court, Grace- 
church street," and we may presume that we have here the 
name, occupation, place of business, and probably also the 
residence of his employer, — his " master" in the terms of 
that day. Members of the Russell family are several times 
cordially referred to in the letters.^ 

A letter from John Penn, at Bristol, to his brother Thomas, 
in 1716, is as follows : 

" Bristoll 6 Octo 1716. 

" Dear Brother 

" I have Eec'd thine of 8 Sep', by w"* find that thou art Settled of w"" 
I am heartyly Glad not doubting but it will be for thy advantage & all 
that I begruge thee is the Conversation of So many of our Good ffr'^ & 
Relations & at Present my Mother a Line from whome I have not had 
Since she was the Last time at London, Pray to whome Give my Duty 

her estate in land to the value of at least £3000 or thereabouts, to answer 
my debts, that was raised by selling her hereditary land, or being mort- 
gaged, which was all one." 

1 There is an allusion to Michael Russell in Joseph Smith's " Catalogue 
of Friends' Books," Vol. II. p. 519, referring to him as party to some 
legal proceeding ("Michael Russell, appellant; John Cochran, respon- 
dent"), and to a printed document, "The Appellant's Case." 

In the period following the Great Fire in London, 1666, the London 
Friends leased land of the Fishmongers' Company at White Hart Court, 
Gracious Street (as it was then commonly called), a plot near the junc- 
tion of Gracechurch Street and Lombard Street, which had been occu- 
pied by the White Hart Inn, destroyed by the fire. A meeting-house 
and several dwelling-houses were built. Dr. John Fothergill was a 
tenant of one of the houses in 1748. Isaac Sowle, the bookseller, and 
Lace Raylton, his successor, whose names are familiar on the early 
Friends' imprints, also lived there. Cf. " The London Friends' Meet- 
ings," W. Beck and T. F. Ball. By successive leases the Friends held 
the property until 1862, when they surrendered it to the Fishmongers' 
Company, 



The Family of William Penn. 91 

as also Respects to all our Good fr'^' & Relations w'" w"" my Dearest Love 
to Self.— 

" Conclude from 
" Thy afFec Bro : 
"Penn." 

Hannah Penn's letters to Thomas, as preserved in the 
series in the Historical Society's collections, begin at an 
earlier date than the above. They have a pathetic under- 
tone of continual anxiety and pressure. In one she says, 
" After fourteen days' expectation and many disappointments 
I have at last drawn on thee for ten pounds, payable at sight 
to Edmund Hide, which take care to answer punctually. I 
would have return'd twenty, but could not get it done ; hope 
I shall to-morrow, for I never underwent the straits I have 
since these thy disappointments. I wrote to Henry Gould- 
ney, and John to thyselfe, by last post, & to no purpose, for 
Harry Prat says he has nothing ; so I have promis'd, but am 
not able to perform." 

Other letters are to the same effect. December 20, 1717, 
she says, " No sooner one load goes off, but another goes on 
by the expences of a large family. I am in a great strait, 
having promised the butcher more than I can raise for 
him." 

It would seem, indeed, that Thomas Penn in these years 
must have been almost daily concerned in some business for 
his mother, and that apart from the aid given her from Bris- 
tol she relied upon him largely, in London, to collect debts, 
to arrange advances or loans, to put off creditors, to meet 
drafts which she had been obliged to make, to purchase and 
forward supplies, etc. 

Let us now read somewhat more at length from the 
mother's letters. Here is one at the beginning of 1716 : 

" 3d of 1st Mo., 1716. 

Dear Child, 

" Thine with the King's speech ^ came but last post ; it had two post 
marks, so think the neglect lay there, — perhaps, the want of a fairer direc- 

' George I. He was scarcely warm in his seat or sure of retaining 
it. The Stuart rising in Scotland had just been put down. 



92 The Family of William Penn. 

tion, that seeming to have bpen wrote in haste ; however, that it brought 
me acct's. of thy health & bro" Aubrey's amendment, made it very 
acceptable to me, as was the king's speech to the family. My sister has 
wrote to thee, and sends it with the little things to-morrow, by Stephen; 
if thou can have time call at thy sister Aubrey's for it. Thy poor father 
has been often ill, but at present is indifferent, as is the rest of the 
family. Give my kind love to thy Master, to whom and in his business 
double thy diligence, to make amends for the lost time. I have almost 
forgot how thy accounts stand, which I expect at thy leisure to be in- 
formed of, but have herew"' sent thee an order on Joseph Boult for 30£ ; 
about 10 of it Judeth Fisher will call on thee for, about a week hence ; 
'tis for somewhat she is to buy for Mary Chandler, so pay her demand, 
and husband the rest well. Let me hear from thee now and then, but I 
will not expect much, because of thine to-day I find tis a very buisy 
time with you, I have also more writing to do, so inlarge not, but 
putting thee in remembrance of the mercys thou hast received, which 
bear in mind and endeavor to make notable returns in a watchful and 
circumspect life. 

" I am in the best love, 

" Thy truly aflf^ Mother, 

" H. Penn." 

In a letter in the Sixth month (August) of the same year 
she mentions sundry family affairs, but particularly speaks 
of his wardrobe, over which she long continued a mother's 
supervision. She says, " I hope this will find thee at thy 
place and that thy master is well returned, to whom give my 
dear love. ... I doubt I shall not be able to send thy cloathes 
this week, for some of thy Linnen is not yet dry, — where- 
fore think thou must shift this 3d day, or for fear of the 
worst I may send thee a suit of Linnen herewith. . . . 
Pray get leave to go to Joseph Boult's, to hasten me ye 20£, 
if he has rec'd it, by Stephen ^ if possible. Give my dear 
love to thy brother Aubrey, and my thanks for his fine piece 
of venson, which was acceptably partook of by us all yes- 
terday. I also take thy cousin Lowther's care and love to 
thee very kindly, in bringing thee to thy place, and was 
sorry thy master happened to be from home, and [hope] 
that thou will in a little time find it to thee as a home. I 
want to know what thy sister Penn does, whether she is 

^ Stephen was evidently some one going frequently and regularly to 
Loudon, probably a " carrier," 



The Family of William Penn. 93 

gone for the North, or not, or intends going soon. . . . With 
my dear love and best desires for thy good I close this." 

The mother's anxiety that the lad should do well in the 
business of his master is frequently expressed. She is con- 
cerned also for his health. She prescribes medicine for him, 
in the medical fashion of that day. She has many little 
errands for him. Here is a letter in the autumn of 1716. 
Hannah Penn had been in London on a brief visit, — stay- 
ing, it would appear, at the Aubreys' : 

" RUS[COMBE] y« le'ii of S"" 

" Dear Child 

" Give my kind love to thy Master and tell him I desire him to Give 
thee Leave to Carry this Irish Letter to the post house safe, the night it 
Comes to hand; put Tom Greys also into the penny post, and deliver 
that to H. G.' with thy own hand at his house. Thou must also put 
C'ristopher on Inquireing after the box Y' went in the Coach with us 
from my Son Aubrey's. . . . 

" We are, I bless God, all pretty well. I think it necessary thou 
should take a little moderate purge of Epsom waters, or let D. Phipps 
or C. Heathcote order thee one, & Do thou pay first. Take care of cold ; 
I have left fustian to line either thy old Coat, or wastcoat, when need- 
ful. Ask Mary and betty at thy bro. Aubrey's after my Gold Seale, 
which I cannot find since I came home, & doubt I left it on their table 
or window, the night before, as I also did forgett the Lemons, and 
Shrimps, — if Mary got any for me, — but that's no matter now, only my 
Seale and the Lemons, order Christopher to send w**" the box. 

" [We have now six little] pigs, one of which I would send thee, if 
acceptable, & y* Mary thinks would dress well after such a Journey, — 
or I will send a goose next week. My uncle and cousin Clement are 
gone for Bristoll. 

" My dear Love and best wishes attend thee ; I am 

" Thy aflf Mo 

" H. P." 

The ffoose which the mistress of Ruscombe here suQco-ests 
went up to London presently, for a week later than this 
letter there is a note from the little daughter of the house- 
hold, Margaret Penn, who writes Thomas in a style which 

^ Henry Gouldney. He has already been referred to in a previous 
foot-note. At his marriage, January 26, 1681, he was described as "of 
Cheapside, linen-draper," son of Adam Gouldney, of Chippenham, 

Wilts. 



94 The Family of William Penn. 

suggests that of their father in his early and cheerful days. 

She says, — 

" KuscoMBE, ye 23 of 8ber, 1716. 

" Dear Brother 

" I Rec'ved thy Letter and Kind Presant by Mary, which I thank 
thee very kindly for, & like them very well. My Father is as well as 
Usuall, as is my mother now, and Sister Aubrey ; they send thee their 
Dear Love, as I do most indearedly, and am 

" Thy very aflT'^ Sister 

" Marg'tt Penn." 

[This is the letter ; but here is the postscript :] 

" My Mother gives her Kind Love to the Master, and has sent him a 
Euscombe Goose, and I send thee a fue Pears and appels, and if I knew 
when it would be thy wedding day would send thee, too, a Chicken, or 
anything that would be more acceptable." 

The writer of this will be recognized as Margaret, the 
younger sister of Thomas, — she who afterwards married 
Thomas Freame. In this correspondence she is called 
" Pegg," reviving the recollection of her aunt, the " Pegg" 
of London, in the day of Pepys's Diary. Her banter of 
Thomas about gifts for his wedding-day was far in advance 
of that event, for he — a prudent bachelor, with ambitions 
presently for betterment of fortune and advancement in 
rank — postponed it more than thirty years. 

In a letter already given in part, dated at Ruscombe, 
" 28th of lOber 1716," there are these details : 

" Thy poor father has been very indiferent these 2 days, which has 
Increas'd my Cares, but being in the same Manner as Usuall I yet live 
in hope of the Lord's Mercy in his Preservation to us. the rest well and 
send their Love both [to] y* Master [and] H. & E. G." 

[A postscript :] 

" Delay not too long the sending some raisons, figgs, & almonds for 
thy poor father, also 6 lemonds & orringes. thou has I supose baskets. 
If thou fail by Stephen thou may send by Ambrose 5th day till tena 
from the bell savage." ^ 

^ The Bell Savage was a famous old inn on Ludgate Hill, established 
at least as early as 1453. " In its later years it was a great coaching inn, 
but the formation of the railways destroyed its trade ; it fell into neglect 
and dilapidation, and was eventually [1873] demolished." The printing 
establishment of Cassell, Petter & Galpin was built on the site. 



The Family of William Penn. 95 

An undated letter, probably about this time, says, — 

' Dear Child 

" having this opertunity by Tho Grey I let thee know thy father is 
midling, myselfe and the rest of us pretty well. Thy brother after being 
hindred severall days by the Weather is gone toward bristoll this morn- 
ing w**" R. Colter & in expectation of overtaking John Cowling. I 
desire thee let the bearer J. G. have halfe a Guiney to buy me some Tea, 
and would have thee send me 5 Guineys made up safely in it ' by Stephen 
of the money yet remaining in thy hands, & if thou hast opertunity by 
or upon the first of next Month inquire of Jo : Gurnell how the Ex- 
change is and if he can as Usuall help me to SO"" in a bill at 30 days 
sight on Tho Wight and what Exchange. I hope thou had mine by last 
return, & will if thou had not, send me a p*^ of Coffee. Send me also 
some patterns of black and white Grosett if you cut any. [On back of 
letter :] Give my dear love to thy M' and M" Mary Russell & H, G." 

Another incompletely dated letter, probably July, 1717, 
is filled with requests and commissions : 

" Child 

" send down if thou can an ell of silk to match Each of these, the 
Lightest was bought at Collisons not long since, a Persian [word lost] 
match'd to the other Culler may do if thou cannot gett it exact. 

" 4th-day morning. . . . Thou may call on Jo Boult for the money 
for these silks if thou need. 

" 16th of 5th Mo. This was wrot a week since and intended by Bishop 
Vickress ^ who disapoynted me by not calling. I am sorry in thy last 
thou gave me no Ace* of Dear E. G's illness, for whose loss I am in no 
small Concern,' Greatly pittying her poor husband & near & dear Rela- 
tives, of whose welfare lett me hear. & tell thy Sister Pen we are all 
near as She Left us. Guly has a little Complayn'd of her head akeing 
today but is better tonight, we are all else so so." 

[On the back of the letter :] 

" Thou may stop in Jos Boults hands, if not already sent to me 20"' 

^ This method of sending money seems to have been frequently used. 
See later ten pounds sent " in a peck of oysters." A note from Mar- 
garet to Thomas, November 3, 1717, after stating that " brother John is 
gott safe to Bristol," adds that " my mother received the tee, and that 
which was in it, safe." 

* A neighbor. See letters from him later. 

' Probably Elizabeth Gouldney, wife of Henry Gouldney. She died 
" of cholick," 13th July, 1717, and was buried at the Bemhill Fields 
ground on the 17th. She was fifty-nine years old. 



96 The Family of William Penn. 

for these things I send for, but not more than necesity requires, & desire 
him to send the rest & a pound of Coffee with it. 

" J Penn is pretty well again. 

" Put thy aunt's letter into the post house w"' Care." 

Joseph Boult, so frequently mentioned as one of those 
who were relied upon for money in time of need, appears 
to have been an agent of William Penn, though his precise 
relation to him does not clearly appear. There is a note to 
Thomas Penn, in 1717, from a tenant probably, written at 
Lewes, in which the writer says that " being with him in a 
barber shopp by his house I ask'd him if his name was 
Boult, for y' I thought I had Paid him money on acco* of 
thy Father, and whether [he] did Business still for him. 
He said he did when he had ord' & if I had any money to 
pay he would write about itt," etc. 

A letter from Hannah to Thomas on the birthday of Mar- 
garet, the completion of her twelfth year, November 7, 1716, 
is as follows : 

" Rus[coMBE] yo 7th of 9 mo. & Pegg's birthday. 

" Dear Child 

" I have by Coach both thine as also one to thy sister, who is now 
turnd from her thirteenth Year, & has helpd Sukee to finish thy 6 shirts 
(and will help to recruite thy old ones) w"*^ I suppose will be also wore 
out, by this time twel've month, if thou hast health, of w*"* I hope, and 
I therefore think I had best, if I can gett neat french Doulas, to make 
thee 6 or 8, which would be very Comfortable to me in ware, & to thee, 
I fancy, this winter. 

" I have for some weeks delayd sending a goose to thy Mistress, in 
hopes of Wild foule, or something else valuable to send with it, but 
being hitherto disapoynted, and the waters at presant forbiding our pur- 
suite of any Game, I send this alone at last, to begg her acceptance ; tho 
am Indeed ashamed to think I have stayd so long to so little purpose. 
Thy poor father is rather worse, at least more uneasy, for a day or two 
past, but hope if the weather mends, that so he may gett out more, that 
he may be better again ; we are else pretty well, & all dearly salute 
thee. 

" I am glad of Sam" Arnolds having accepted the bill, & desire mine 
to Andrew Hall may be payd to Content. I would also desire ten pound 
by Stephen in a peck of oysters, but I would not be too often trouble- 
some and therefore will try to shift till thou receaves y* 50'" from Jon : 
Gurnell, and of which send me 20 in good Goldsmiths Notes & 20'^ in 



The Family of William Penn. 97 

Mony, also pay betty Collison ten in part of ace' — & send me by first 
some patterns of Grave Mixt Grassetts from her, till I get a Suite made 
I cant well adventure to London this cold weather. Nor have thou as 
yet told me whether the Doctor is yet gone from thy Sisters or not, but 
of that mention nothing to them unless he is absent. 

" If thou wants Cloathing before I come up let me know what. 

" if Jon. Gurnell is Unsatisfied for want of the words Vallue rec* thou 
may if w"" his advice Interline it, but I am always in a Strait in those 
words, least my letters should Miscarry or be Intercepted between me 
and him." 

[On back of letter, in another hand :] 

" My Mistress would have thee tell J. Gurnall that Shee will write to 
Thomas Wight by next post without faill, but desiers her bills may not 
be sent till y* post following, and also would have thee when opertuinity 
offers to goo and see thy aunt Lowther and Lett M" know whare Shee 
Lives." 

Aunt Lowther's house was probably in London ; she may 
have been moving ; her residence, it seems, was not well 
known at Ruscombe at this time. She had been a widow 
since 1692, and was now approaching the end of her days. 

The following, in the spring of 1717, gives a view of the 
different concerns that occupied the mistress of Ruscombe : 

" Rus. y« 4th of 1»' mo 1717. 
" Dear Child 

" I am weary, it being both Gardening and Washing time, and Ex- 
pecting to morrow, on the Green, if not in the house, the familys thereof, 
to the Buriall of Mary Blagrove. But having received thy 2 letters, I 
answer that part however relating to thy sister Pen ; in which let her 
have a guiney, besides her bill, and take for thy selfe 20£, or more if 
absolutely needful, but I am surrounded w"' Calls and Cares; I hope 
thou had and will mind the Contents of my last, & send me the money 
soon. Hasten this also to J. Vine ; I expect my Landlord's Call Soon, 
he became of age to day. Thy two letters I had to night together, also 
the hoods, oranges. Coffee, etc. ; tis too late to see the patterns, So say 
nothing, & expect to hear again from thee soon." 

A letter, September 10, 1717, sends Thomas to Henry 
Gouldney and Joseph Boult on business, and says, "my 
being full of company, and thy Aunt Wharley^ going to- 

^ The extent to which the recognition of relationship was carried is 
exemplified here. Isaac Penington, by his marriage with the widow 



98 The Family of William Penn. 

morrow hinders my writing to H. G. Thy dear father is 
full as well as thou left him ; I have been ill, but am better." 
Mary Russell, who was one of the family with which Thomas 
lived, perhaps the wife of his master, was then at Ruscombe, 
and sent love to her relatives. 

In a letter in November, 1717, Hannah writes to Thomas, 
sending a letter by a " New England Friend" who has been 
at Ruscombe, with whose visit, she says, we " have all been 
pleased and comforted." Thomas's wardrobe, at the begin- 
ning of winter, excites her concern once more, and is 
coupled with the ever-present finance question. " I would 
not have thee," she says, " want Stockens, but get them ; or 
what thou cant not well Shift without; but for a new Coat, 
if thou can spare it this winter do, by new lineing or a 
thicker wastcoat but especially till R. Baker is payd. I 
hope thou have pd poor Danell Skinner, I have Walter's 
bill, and others presses me hard, as also my coming to 
London, but the weather and roads much discourage. I am 
heartily Afflicted at the Loss of dear Silvanus Grove, in 
Whom we have all lost a Most Capable and Valuable friend. 
The Tea is come safe, & we like it pretty well. My Dear 
Love to thy M. &. M., & very dearly to thee." 

In a letter of about the same date, devoted mainly to in- 
structions as to money, or drafts on Samuel Arnold and 
Jonathan Gurnell, she fears she takes up too much of his 
time, and intends to ask excuse of his master when she 
next comes to London. But there is this postscript : 



" I had thine ; am sorry for thy Loss and Negligence in losing the 
guinea ; tis wit dear bought, and I hope will last with thee for thy in- 
crease of care in time to come.^ Send the enclosed by first penny post. 
Johne and all other our relations well at Bristol by last post." 

Mary Springett, had five children, four sons and one daughter, Mary, who 
married Daniel Wharley, of London. Mary Wharley was therefore a 
half-sister of William Penn's first wife, and her sistership to William 
Penn's second wife was altogether one of courtesy. 

^ We may believe that Thomas laid this experience and admonition 
to heart. It does not seem that he often wasted or lost a guinea. 



The Family of WiUiam Penn. 99 

A letter in December, 1717, speaks of Thomas's ward- 
robe in some detail. Referring to the tardy receipt of some 
things which he was to send down from the city, she adds, — 

" But [I] am now satisfied in that, as also in thy Choice of a Coat, 
only doubting that when thou have wore this a month or 2, Every day, 
'twill be too bad for First days ; or perhaps thou dessigns thy other for 
every day, and the new one for best, which I think Indeed the Most 
Likely. I wish thou could have shifted till nearer Spring for a hatt, 
for I doubt to buy a good one now twill be near spoyld before the Hight 
of summer. I wish thou had saved thy last from spoyling, by buying 
one more ordinary and cheaper, & which I fancy will be thy best way 
still, & so postpone a good one till summer ; of which however Consider 
and act for the best Husbandry, & then please thy selfe ; but be sure 
w*" ever tis, that tis Packd up in a very Frd-like way, for the fantasticall 
cocks in thine, and thy brother Johne's hats has burthend my spiritt 
much, and Indeed more than most of your dress besides ; therefore, as 
thou Valines my Comfort, Regulate it more for the future. I have a 
Multitude of Toyls and Cares, but they would be greatly Mittigated, if 
I may but behold thee and thy brother, persuing hard after Vertue, & 
leaveing as behind your backs the Toyish allurements «& snares of this 
uncertain world. Oh may it be so, saith my soule. 

" Thy poor father is as of late, so, so ; my selfe and the rest Indifferent. 
Pegge, who has been at Atalls, Just come home, & sends her dear Love 
to thee ; give mine to thy sister Aubrey." 

[Then she adds :] 

" But I will not longer detain thee than to advise thee not to faile of 
reading the Scriptures, and prizing the happiness of silence in meetings, 
when thou can get to them." 

Ten days later she is concerned for Thomas's health : 

" I have not wrote to thee since thy last, being Loath to Intercept thee 
in thy load of business, in which practice diligence, but forgett not thy 
own health, by overlifting or overworking, for the continuarnce of thy 
health will be for thy master's advantage, as well as my comfort, ... I 
only add my good wishes, tho the surfeit [etc.] thou took last year will 
make me in care for thee till I hear this is over." 

There are two notes at this time from Gulielma Maria 
Penn, — the daughter of William, Jr., the "little beauty," 
as her grandfather had called her in one of his letters to 
Logan fifteen years before, when she was in her infancy. 



100 The Family of William Penn. 

They are to Thomas, and indicate that he had been doing 
errands for her also ; they bear a slight air of mystery. It 
may be noted that she begins both, " Dear Uncle," and signs 
herself " th}^ very affectionate cousin." (Thomas was, of 
course, half-brother to her father.) She desires him, in one, 
" to send y* inclosed to M. Knight, and y® other to my 
mother." Then, in a postscript : " If thou hast any Letters 
for me send them to Cousin M. Stafford, at Margaret 
Wiggin's." The second note runs thus : 

"December y« 22 1717 

" Dear Uncle 

" I desire y" will Excuse me for troubleing thee so often. I rec'd both 
my letters & am very much obliged to y® for thy kindness in Profering 
thy self to do anything for me. I desire thou wilt send y^ inclosed to 
Cousin Patty Stafford. Pray dont say anything to any Body that thou 
heard frorn me ; allso if anything comes for me Send it By y* Aylesbery 
Coach, as y*^ last Parcel was sent, and thou will very much oblidg 

" Thy very aff"* Cousin 
" G. M. Penn," 



Mary Penn, "William, Jr.'s., wife, has been in London, and 
unwell ; Hannah chides Thomas for making but a brief 
report of the case. She says, — 

" Rus. ye 27 of 12/mo 1717/8 

" Dear Child 

" Thy last letter, on ace' of thy sister Pen's illness a little surprisd me, 

& on which I wrote to H Gouldney. I hoped for a letter from some of 

you since, but none Came as y' except one from thy sister Aubrey, which 

however has Easd me ; but When ever thou writes of illness of thy frds 

be not so short as not to tell the Malady, especially when thou desires 

anything for their care, for w**" out knowing y® Cause tis hard to study a 

Cure, but I hope 'tis nothing bad, if 'tis let me hear again by post. . . . 

I would have thee write me a line 7"' night, to lett me know how thy 

sister does, & when any Ships Sayle ; lett me also know whether thou 

have now any cash in hand, & how much, also How Irrish Exchange 

runs. Cousin Tho. Aubrey is got hither on his way for London & pretty 

well, his Horse lame or would have left us to morrow, but intends it y® 

day after, to whom I refer for perticulars, and about y^ patterns to my 

next opertunity, and with dear Love from me and Pegge conclude ; from 

thy 

" AflF'« Mother, H. P." 



The Family of William Perm. 101 

The letters which I have observed passing between the 
two brothers John and Thomas at this period, and later, are 
kindly and affectionate in tone. Thomas, perhaps, is some- 
what formal and business-like, but is always regardful of the 
conventions of correspondence. I have noted one letter, in 
1723, in which, being then at Bristol, Thomas wrote to John, 
in London, at " Crown Court, Aldersgate," and departed 
from the plain manner of the Friends, saying throughout 
"you," "ffebruary," "ffriday," "Monday," etc., but this is 
an exception ; in other letters, later, he uniformly says 
" thine," " thy," " thee," " First-day," etc. His letters are 
well written, in a fine, even, and pleasing hand, and he 
expresses himself clearly and definitely. 

Hannah Penn's cash-book, a small, square book, showing 
the house-keeping expenses at Ruscombe between May 15, 
1715, and November 5, 1719, is among the Penn collections 
of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The opening 
entries, and most of those which follow, are in the hand- 
writing of Hannah Penn, but some are in another hand, 
probably that of her son John. The account begins with 
this entry : 

"We came to Ruscomb from Bath the 9th of 5th mo: 1715,^ then 
Rec'd of John Wren by bill on Joseph Boult £10." 

The page upon which this is entered contains further 
entries of the proceeds of bills drawn upon T. Wight 
through Jonathan Gurnell, payments of cash by Ambrose 
Galloway, and others, making in all twelve entries between 
May 15, 1715, and Twelfth month, 1716, and covering four 
hundred and thirty-one pounds and fifteen shillings. Other 
memoranda of bills drawn, etc., appear on other pages, but 
most of the book is occupied with cash payments. As these 
throw light on the daily life at Ruscombe, I extract as 
follows : 

^ This was evidently Penn's visit to Bath, taken in the hope that the 
waters might benefit him, mentioned by the " visitor" to Ruscombe, in 
last chapter, and also by Simon Clement. 

8 



102 



The Family of William Penn. 



" 1715 
5th mo. 



while 



payd hire of y* horses & to the Coach man 

y* brought us up from Bath 
pd Carriage of our goods fro Bristol! 
pd a debt to Rachell Hall . 
pd Jane Grove for Tayloring work 
pd the poors Tax ^ year 

22 pd Farmer Crockford in p' for Hay 
pd Goodee Lovejoy for weeding &c. 

we were from home 
pd Goodee Collins for her work . 
pd Neighbour Burton, horse hire 
disbursments at Henly Markett 
to my pockett 5' to my husband 10^ 
to Daughter Aubrey for severall things 
to Daughter Pen to pay Gilbert Tomson's 

bill .... 
for 3 Lobsters 
for a dozen of Cherrys 

23 pd Thomas y* Butch'r in full of a forme 

bill .... 
pd for 7 ducks & 6 fouls 
pd for a dozen of sope 



£ s d 

5 

12 6 

4 
116 

9 4 

5 

14 10 

15 
9 
7 i 

15 

3 8 

17 10 

2 3 

1 6 

3 15 9 

9 

5 0" 



The entries above are nearly all those occupying the first 
page of cash payments. Other entries on subsequent pages 
include the following : 

" 1715, 5th mo. 27, payd for a Couple of Eabets Is, 6d. For 4 lbs of 
butter, 6s. 

" 28th, pd for a dish of fish, with Lobster and Crawfish 7s 6d ; John 
Good, for white liming y^ house, lOs; for severall things of y" Pedler, 
2s. 9d. ; for gathering herbs and camomile flowers, Is ; for a sythe for y" 
walks, 2s 6d. 

" 6th mo 1, for a flitch of bacon, 39 lbs, 193 6d. 

" 19th, to Tho : Pen for his journey to Bristoll, 10s. 

" 22nd, pd bringing Johnes things and a hamper from Bristoll, 5s. 

" 27th, pd Margaret Chandler's son by bill on Joseph Boult in full for 
wine due to her £3 13s 6d." 

Other entries, omitting dates, are extracted as follows : 

" For a roasting pigg 2s 6d ; for a bushel of Potatoes 2s ; for a goose 
to send to London 2s 3d; for pins and other small things at reding 43; 
for earthen pans at twiford, 23 4d ; pd Tho Grove y' window tax ISs ; 



The Family of William Fenn. 103 

for sweeping chimneys, etc., 2s; y® smith at Twifords bills £1 193; pd 
Thos Grove, for landlord, yMand tax £3 lis; mending y-^ side-saddle, 
etc., Is ; for stuffe for an under coate for Pegge 3s 4d." 

Entries of payments of taxes and rent suggest with toler- 
able certainty that the owner of Ruscombe was a Mr. 
Foster. 1718, First month (March) 26, there is this entry: 
" pd Landlord Foster by disbursements & taxes £9 lOs, and 
in money £10 10s in full to Decem'r last." 

The cash-book contains no entries from Fifth month 
(July) 21, 1718, to November of that year. Two pages were 
left blank, but the account has not been set down. The 
melancholy reflection is that this was the period in which 
the death of the Founder occurred. 

Entries in the book about a year later, in the handwriting 
of one of the children (as there are occasional payments of 
petty cash to " my mother"), and evidently a man, suggest 
the work of John Penn, though it may have been Thomas's. 
They seem to show quite clearly that at this time, prob- 
ably Michaelmas (September 29), 1719, the home at Rus- 
combe was broken up. The entries of cash paid out are 
nearly all stated to be " in full," and then appears this one : 

" Balance this 26th Octo' 1719 and wch I Brought from Ruscombe to 
Hammersmith £4 16s 1 3/4d." 

There are three pages of charges in the book, begun by 
Hannah Penn, headed " Son and Daughter Penn, Dr." 
These begin in September, 1712, just after the apoplectic 
seizure of the Founder ; they refer, of course, to William, 
Jr., and his wife. They extend to Eighth month (October), 
1717, and amount to about three hundred pounds. We 
shall more particularly refer to them in the chapter on 
William Penn, Jr. 

In May, 1720, Hannah Penn was in London, and wrote 
from there to Rebecca Blackfan, at Pennsbury, in Pennsyl- 
vania, a letter which has already been referred to, but 
which is worth giving in full : 



104 The Family of William Penn. 

"London, ye 9th of 3rd Month, 1720. 
"Dear Cousn: 

" By ye Death of my dear Husband & ye Loads of affliction that has 
encompass'd me thereon I have been disabled from conversing much 
wth my Friends, as well as from doing them or myself much service on 
that side y* water. But as it would be my greatest pleasure to find my- 
self in a Capacity to pay my dear Husband's Debts, & see my poor 
Children made capable of maintaining themselves, wch I am now strug- 
ling for, & when attained, shall be also willing to assist thee & thy Son, 
if you are not yet got to a Settlement, but I would hope you are in some 
little way and Place, for I am realy concern'd to think of thy Son's 
loseing so much of his time. And that it may be no longer, I have sent 
thee Peter Evans's Bond, for thee to advise wth my Friends upon, & 
use as they shall direct, — James Logan & R. Hill, in particular. 

" I find sev'l of my Letters to thee & others have miscaried, & there- 
fore know not whether they had acct of y* Death of my dear Sister 
Lowther, who Died of a Lingering Feaver & gradual decay about 5 
Months after her dear Brother. My poor Niece Poole is also since De- 
ceas'd, of an uncommon Ayling & pain in her Head, scarce understood 
by any, but as was suppos'd proceeded from a Bruise on an overturn in 
a Coach some Months before : She has left one only Daughter, who I 
hope may have Comfort in Her Riches, & not become a Prey to ye 
World, or some Worldling. My Cousin John Lowther is maried, has 
one Child, (a Daughter) and Lives at Mask as yet. My Cousin Sir 
Thomas, the Heir of Sir William, is just return'd from his Travels in 
France & Flanders. He went out a very promising hopeful young Man, 
& I greatly hope is not worsted but improved by his journey. His two 
Sisters are both Living, but his younger Brother Died of the Small Pox 
two years since. My Daughter Aubrey is I hear well, as is my Daughter 
Penn & her Son & Daughter, all here in Town, & Springet wth a Mer- 
chant in Ireland, 

" My Children, Three of them are in Town here, well, as are I hope 
my Two youngest at School. My Son Penn, after his Father's Death, 
came over from France to send his Commissions, as I hear, to your side, 
& then return'd again to France, where I think he has spent his time 
mostly ever since, & I doubt too fast, for I hear he is now but weakly, 
& 'tis doubted in a Consumptive way ; May he yet Live to see, & have 
a Heart given him to repent of his Follys, is what I heartily desire. 
My Son John gives his kind Love to thee & his Cousin William, to 
whome give mine, & in thy next let me know in what Condition Pens- 
berry is & by whom Inhabited now, for I hope I am not at any charges 
there, but that it at least maintains itself and Family ; and I hope thou 
hast taken Care to preserve the Goods as much as may be from damage, 
an Inventory of wch I shall write to J. Logan for, as being liable to be 
Call'd to an Account for it on acct of Debts, & because I am under a 



The Family of William Penn. 105 

necessity to prove ye Will in Chancery by the opposition my Son Penn 
&c. has given me therein. 

" I find by reading thy last Letter, again, per W. Watson, that thou 
art still on Pen'sberry ; who will be the Inheritor of that Place at last is 
yet uncertain, 'till ye Law has settled our Affairs, but ye Goods & Stock 
must be valued, to help to pay Debts, of wch my Husband has paid & 
engag'd for divers on his Son's Acct ; some of wch I have been oblig'd 
to pay, & am call'd on for more, wch I avoid 'till our matters are de- 
termined. The young Blacks must be dispos'd of to prevent their 
increasing Charge, I have offer'd my Daughter Aubrey one, but she does 
not care for any, I would however have ye likelyest Boy reserv'd, and 
bred to reading & sobriety as intending him for my Self, or one of my 
Children ; about wch I design to write to J. Logan, for if Sue proves a good 
Industrious Servant, & Sober, I would have her ye more tenderly us'd 
in ye disposal of her Children. I have wrote more than I intended & 
'till my Head achs, so wth kind Love to thee, & my Cousin Wm & those 
of my Loving Neighbours who formerly knew me in your parts, I close 

p 

" Thy Loving Cousin, and Friend, 

" H. Penn. 

" To Rebecca Blackfan," 

Endorsed " To Rebbecka Blackfan at Pensberry or Elswhere in Pen- 
sylvania." 

The statement that three of the children are in London 
and the two youngest at school confirms the presumption 
that the Ruscombe home was broken up in the autumn of 
1719. The three in London were, of course, John, Thomas, 
and Margaret. Those at school were Richard and Dennis. 
Three years later, John, who had then come of age, appears 
to have been settled in the country, and there is a letter to 
Mm from Thomas in London. It suggests that Hannah's 
and Margaret's home was then with John, but that a lodging 
for them was being inquired for. The letter follows : 

" London, May 15, 1723. 
" Dr : Brother 

"I had James's Letter which came just in the Nick of time to hinder 

my purchasing a Natural pacer 5 yrs old and 13 Hands High for about 

5 Guineas. Shal be glad to hear the Horse he mentions may please 

thee. I have herewith sent thee a Gallon of good French Brandy which 

hope will do ; also [bla7ik] of Cloths, the Charge whereof have put 

down below.^ My Mother was in the City last night, and is brave and 

1 The memorandum of the " cloths" is given on the lower corner of 
the letter. It includes twenty-six yards " Callam," eight yards "Sars- 
net," and " four yds Wide," altogether five pounds four pence. 



106 The Family of William Penn. 

well. Daniel Phillips I suppose has been with her, so that she can in- 
form thee his opinion concerning Tunbridge & Windsor, but there's a 
Lodging to be let at Winchmorehill, about 1 Mile from Bushill, and 
Close by the Meetinghouse, which shee may have. W. Picton had it 
some time Since : 'tis a very pleasant Situation, and large garden, near 
the New river, and but about 5 miles from Wormly, where you may 
have fishing enough. If thou likes that side of the Country I think the 
place will do. I have no more to add but Love to thy Self & Peggy 
and am 

"Thy aflf: Bro. 

" Tho Penn. 
" I expect to see thee first day." 

In March, 1726, a letter to John Penn from one of his 
correspondents is addressed to him " at Thomas Penn's, in 
Three Kings Court, Lombard St., London." A year or 
two later John had established himself in Berkshire, at the 
place called Feens, already mentioned. It was near Maiden- 
head and evidently not far from Ruscombe, and letters 
addressed to John by Thomas and Richard show that he 
lived there until he came to Pennsylvania in 1734. His 
brother's letters allude to it as "your house." We get a 
glimpse of one of his friends at this period, Thomas Bishop 
Vickris, who had been among Hannah Penn's neighbors at 
Ruscombe. There are notes from him to John in 1729 ; 
these allude to his (Vickris's) house as " a cottage" at 
" Winton." John, it appears, had given him a pointer dog, 
and in acknowledging the present, Vickris assured the donor 
that the animal should " have a Liberal Education suited 
to his Birth !" October 22, 1729, Vickris writes from London 
to John, " I am eating soope and drinking your health at 
y* George and Vulture w'th your Bro Tom." 



VIII. WILLIAM PENN, JUNIOR. 

Of the children of William Penn by his marriage to 
Gulielma Maria Springett, only two, as we have already seen, 
married, and one of these, Letitia Aubrey, had no children. 
The other was William Penn, Jr., and from him is derived 
one of the two existing lines of the Penn family. 



The Family of William Penn. 107 

"William Penn, Jr., was born at Worminghurst, his 
mother's estate, March 14, 1680/1, ten days after the grant 
of Pennsylvania to his father. Little is known of his child- 
hood and 3'outh. His father's letter to him, before sailing 
in the " Welcome," has been given. He was married early. 
The Bristol Friends' records show the marriage of William 
Penn, Jr., and Mary Jones, daughter of Charles, Jr., and 
Martha, at Bristol, on the 12th of Eleventh month (January), 
1698/9. He was then not quite eighteen years old. His 
wife was four years older. She was born on the 11th of 
Eleventh month (January), 1676/7, and was, therefore, just 
a day more than twenty-two on her wedding-day. 

The marriage certificate is as follows : 

[The memoriall or Copy of the Certificate of Willm Penn Junr. & 
Mary Jones's Marriage. The Certificate itselfe being made on double 
Stampt pchment according to the late Statute.] 

XiQlbCrCHS it doth appeare by the memorialls of the men's meet- 
ing of the people called Quakers within the Citty of Bristoll that 
William Penn, son of Willm. Penn Esq and Mary Jones daughter of 
Charles Jones Junr. of the same Citty, merchant, did on the four & 
twentieth day of the eighth month last past manifest their intentions 
of marriage. AND WHEREAS such their intentions was on the 
eighteenth day of the ninth month last published in the publique 
meeting house of the said people in the presence of many people there 
congregated AND FORASMUCH as there appeares no just cause 
wherefore a marriage between the said William Penn Junr. & Mary 
Jones should not be consumated we therefore whose names are here- 
unto subscribed are witnesses that on the day of the date hereof the 
said Willm. Penn Junr. taking the said Mary Jones by the hand did 
declare that he did take the said Mary to be his wife. And that the 
said Mary holding the said Willm. Penn Junr. by the hand did declare 
that she did take the said Willm. to be her husband. And that also 
the said Willm. Penn Junr. & Mary holding each other by the hand 
did mutually promise each to other to live together husband and wife 
in love and faithfulnes according to God's Holy ordinances as in Holy 
scriptures declared untill by death they shall be separated AND ALSO 
the said Willm. and Mary as a further testimony of such their taking 
each other and of such their promises each to other have hereunto 



108 



The Family of William, Penn. 



with us sett their hands the Twleveth day of the eleaventh month in 
the year one thousand six hundred ninety eight. 

Will. Penn Ju«. 

Mary Penn. 



The names of the Witnesses that subscribed with them to the same 
Certificate are — 



Walter Duffield 
Thomas Penn 
J. Hampton 
Isaac Jenings 
Tho. Callowhill 
Charles Harford 
Richd. Snead 
Wm. StaflFord 
Robt. Bound 
Paul Moore 
Benj : Coole 



Charles Jones 
Anne Jones 
Margt. Lowther 
Letitia Penn 
Hannah Penn 
Ch : Jones Jun 
Edw : Hackett 
J. Dooer 

Lidia Hacket Junr. 
Margret Lowther Junr. 
Eliz : Corshey 
Richard Rooth 
Marget. Rooth 
Jane Trahear 
Danll. Pill 
Ffra : Roath 
Peter Young 



Martha Jones 
Eliz : Jones 
Anthony Lowther 
Sarah Roath 
Eliz : Harford 
Jane Watkins 
William Penn 
Nathll. Wade 
Ffra : Whitchurch 
Wm. Cluterbuck Snr. 
Richard Codrington 
Wm. Coplin 
Henh. Swymmer 
Richd. Taylour. Junr. 
John Corshey 
Edw : Jones 
Katherne Bound 



[Certified to be an Extract from the Register or Record numbered 
Society of Friends 116, and entitled a Register of Marriages formerly 
kept by the Society of Friends at the Monthly Meeting of Bristol. — 
From the General Register Office, Somerset House, London.] 

Charles Jones, Jr., father of Mary Penn, was the son of 
Charles and Ann Jones, of Redcliffe Street, Bristol, who 
were among the early Friends in that city. The name of 
Charles Jones appears in Besse's record of the " Sufferings" 
of Bristol Friends in 1663 and later. The son, Charles, 
Jr., was probably born prior to 1654; the Friends' records 
show seven other children born to his parents between that 
year and 1664. Charles, Jr., married, 1674, Martha 
Wathers, and she dying First month (March) 8, 1687/8, he 
married again, 1695, Sarah Corsley, widow. He died, it 
seems, from William Penn's letters cited below, about Jan- 
uary, 1701/2. By his first wife he had several children, in- 



The Family of William Penn. 109 

eluding Mary (Penn), who appears to have been the second 
child.i 

"When William Penn sailed for Pennsylvania, in 1699, he 
left his son behind. " William [Junior] . . . and ... his 
young wife chose to remain in England," Maria Webb 
says. Their first child, Gulielma Maria, and their second, 
Springett, were born during the two years of William 
Penn's absence. In the latter's correspondence with Logan, 
after his return to Englaiid, there are numerous allusions to 
William, Jr., and his family. Thus : ^ 

[Kensington, 4th of Eleventh month (January), 1701/2:] " My son 
and family well ; a sweet girl and a Saracen of a boy ; his wife — a good 
and pretty woman — at Bristol on her father's account, who is dead and 
buried." 

[Kensington, 3d of Twelfth month (February), 1701/2:] "Son and 
wife at Bristol upon C. Jones's death. I send a packet to thee that was 
from him. , . . The three daughters I think, or son and wife, administer. 
All amicable among the relatives." 

In a letter to Logan, from Worminghurst, August 18, 
1702, William Penn, Jr., thanks him for informing him of 
some " base and scandalous reports" which had come to 
Logan's ears concerning him, and adds, — 

" I hope you will be assured I am far different. ... I love my friends, 
keep company that is not inferior to myself, and never am anything to 
excess. My dress is all they can complain of, and that but decently 
genteel, without extravagancy ; and as for the poking-iron I never had 
courage enough to wear one by my side. You will oblige me if you 
give this character of me till I make my personal appearance among 
you, which shall not be long, God willing. . . ." 

[Postscript :] 

" My children are, I thank God, both well, and remember to thee. 
The boy is a jolly fellow, able to make two of his uncle already." 

^ John Jones, of Bristol, linen-draper, whose will is dated December 
13, 1699, and was proved 1702, appears to have been a son of Charles 
Jones the elder, above, and a brother of Charles Jones, the father-in-law 
of William Penn, Jr. He leaves to his " cousin [niece] Mary, married 
to William Penn, £100."— Cy. will, Penna. Mag., Vol. XVII. p. 74, 

- The letters to and from .Tames Logan, from which numerous citations 
follow, are to be found in the "Penn-Logan Correspondence," two 
volumes, issued by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. It seems un- 
necessary to cite volume and page with each extract. 



110 The Family of William Penn. 

William Penn's letters to Logan contain these passages : 

[London, 6th of Fourth month, 1703 :] " My son has another boy, mine 
and his name." 

[Another letter, about the same time as above :] " My son (having 
life) resolves to be with you per first opportunity. His wife this day 
week was delivered of a fine boy, as I found when I came home in the 
evening, and which he has called William, so we are now major, minor, 
and minimus . . . ray grandson Springett a mere Saracen, his sister a 
beauty." 

William Penn, Jr., came to Pennsylvania in company 
with Lieutenant-Governor John Evans in February, 1703/4. 
It had been a cherished plan of his father's to send him to 
the new country, to get him out of undesirable company at 
home, and to let him acquire the knowledge of a simpler 
and more moderate way of living. The young man's letter 
to Logan in August, 1702, already cited, shows that he was 
expecting to come soon, and the visit had evidently been re- 
solved upon considerably earlier. February 4, 1701/2, Penn, 
Sen., had written to Logan, from Kensington, suggesting 
how he should manage the young man when he came : 

"My son shall hasten ; possess him, go with him to Pennsbury, advise 
him, contract, and recommend his acquaintance. No rambling to New 
York, nor mongrel correspondence. He has promised fair; I know he 
will regard thee. ... Be discreet ; he has wit, kept the top company, 
and must be handled with much love and wisdom ; and urging the weak- 
ness or folly of some behaviors, and the necessity of another conduct 
from interest and reputation, will go far , . . he is conquered that way, 
pretends much to honor, and is but over-generous by half, and yet 
sharp enough to get to spend. He cannot well be put on. All this keep 
to thyself." 

In a letter February 24, 1702/3, Penn spoke of his son's 
departure having been delayed by reports of sickness at 
Philadelphia, as well as his — the son's — wife's approaching 
confinement (expected in six weeks). And in another letter 
whose date is missing, but presumed to be about the same 
time, Penn writes to Logan, — 

" Immediately take him away to Pennsbury, and there give him the 
true state of things, and weigh down his levities, as well as temper his 



The Family of William Penn. Ill 

resentments and inform his understandings, since all depends upon it, 
as well for his future happiness, as in measure your poor country's.' I 
propose Governor Hamilton, S. Carpenter, I, Norris, young Shippen, 
and your easiest and most sensible and civilized for his conversation ; 
and I hope Col. Markham, and Cousin Ashton, and the Fairmans may 
come in for a share ; but the first chiefly. Watch him, outwit him, and 
honestly overreach him for his good; fishing, little journeys (as to see 
the Indians), &c., will divert him ; and pray Friends to bear all they can, 
and melt toward him, at least civilly if not religiously. He will confide 
in thee. If S. Carpenter, K. Hill, and Is. Norris could gain his confi- 
dence, and honest and tender G. Owen not the least likely, (for he feels 
and sees), I should rejoice. Pennsylvania has cost me dearer in my 
poor child than all other considerations." "^ 

Governor Evans and young Penn left England, probably 
in the early autumn of 1703, and had a long voyage. A 
letter, dated at London, December 4, 1703, from Penn to 
Logan, asks him to " tell my poor boy that all his were well 
the last post . . . per next packet boat to Barbadoes, a 
month hence, he will hear from his wife." Three days 
later, " 7th lObr," probably also from London, Penn again 
wrote to Logan, — 

" My son's going did not cost me so little as £800, and the land he 
left destitute of stock at Worminghurst, with the taxes becoming due at 
his going off, with carpenter's [bills] etc., makes 200 more, and thou 
mayst imagine how hard it is for me to get it, Ireland so miserably 
drained and reduced as it is, an account of which I had to-night, at 
my lodgings from Sir Francis Brewster's own mouth. . . . Let my dear 
child have my endeared love. The Lord direct his ways for his honor, 
his father's comfort, and his own peace." 

William, Jr., had been living, it is evident from this letter 
as well as other evidence, at Worminghurst. It is probable 
that he had removed there at his marriage. During his 
absence in Pennsylvania his father apparently went there, 
and may have made the place his home. He says, in a 

' The underlying thought here, no doubt, was that the young man 
would succeed his father as Proprietor and Governor. 

^ The allusion here is not very plain, unless it means that by his 
absorption in Pennsylvania's affairs, and perhaps his absence from 
England, 1699-1701, Penn had neglected a due parental oversight of 
his son. 



112 The Family of William Penn. 

letter, 31st December, a short time after that last cited, " A 
Scotch plot [and other circumstances] allow me a few days 
at Worminghurst for my better health and refreshment." 

Evans and young Penn reached Philadelphia February 2, 
1703/4. A letter from Isaac l^orris to Samuel Chew, dated 
" 12th of 12th month" (February), says, " The Governor and 
W. Penn, junior, caught us napping; they arrived late at 
night, unheard to all the town, and at a time when we were 
big with the expectation of a Queen's governor." A letter 
from Logan to Penn, Sen., dated at Philadelphia, Twelfth 
month (February) 15, contains evidence that the voyage had 
been unusually long. He says, — 

" I leave the account of the tedious voyage. ... By thy son ... I 
received thine of the 27th 6th mo. [August] . . . Thy son's voyage I 
hope will prove to the satisfaction of all, and to his, and therefore thy 
happiness. It is his stock of excellent good nature that in a measure 
has led him out into his youthful sallies when too easily prevailed 
upon. . . . He is very well received . . . 'tis his good fortune here to 
be withdrawn from those temptations that have been too successful over 
his natural sweetness and yielding temper." 

Penn writes to Logan from London, on the 10th of First 
month (March), 1703/4,— 

"Tell my son I met my wife and his at young S. Tilley's marriage, 
near Guilford, and then they were well ; and by two letters since their 
return. Guly and Springett are well from their agues, and little Billy 
so too and the spark of them all ; and my poor little ones also well, and 
great love among the children." 

Hannah Penn writes to Logan from Bristol, 5th of Eighth 
month (October), 1704,— 

"I am very glad our son likes the country [Pennsylvania] so well 
and has his health so well there. 'Tis in vain to wish, or it should be, 
that he had seen that country sooner (or his father not so soon). . . . 
With this comes a letter from his wife, so that I need say the less of her, 
only that herself and the three pretty children are well for aught I 
hear." 

Penn writes to Logan from Bristol, on the 2d of ITovem- 
ber, 1704,— 



The Family of WiUUini Penn. 113 

" If my son prove very expensive I cannot bear it, but must place to 
his account what he spends above moderation, while I lie loaded with 
debt at interest here, else I shall pay dear for the advantage his going 
thither might entitle me to, since the subscribers are [or?J bondsmen 
cannot make ready pay, according to what he has received, and on 
his land there. So excite his return, or to send for his family to him ; 
for if he brings not wherewith to pay his debts here, his creditors will 
fall foul upon him most certainly." 

The 3'oung man's stay in Philadelphia lasted only a few- 
months; the reproaches, just or unjust, which attended it 
are familiar in our local history of the time. Upon his 
arrival, he and James Logan boarded a while at Isaac Nor- 
ris's, and then, in June, took William Clark's " great house," 
newly built, on Chestnut Street at the southwest corner of 
Third, w^here they kept " bachelors' hall" and where later 
Gov'ernor Evans joined them. Young Penn would not 
adjust his expenditure to the allowance — apparently very 
moderate — w^hich Logan was authorized to pay him. His 
outlay %vas, the latter reported to Penn, " much above the 
limits set me. The directions given me can by no means 
satisfy him, nor answer what is thought suitable the pre- 
sumptive heir of the Province." Logan was a clean and 
temperate liver; he had, no doubt, little satisfaction in the 
direction w^hich 3'oung Penn and the Governor were inclined 
to take,^ but his performance of his duty in the premises 
was not remitted. Like many men of his race, he was a 
faithful and exact administrator. 

Young Penn w^as made, immediately upon his arrival, a 
member of the Provincial Council. The minutes show ^ that 
at the meeting February 8, 1703/4, " William Penn, Junr., y" 
Propr's Son, was called to y^ Board & took the affirmation 
of a member of Council." He was thereafter occasionally 
present at the meetings, and in the list of those attending 
his name was placed at the top, next following that of the 

^ Logan writes to Penn, July 14, 1704, "The Governor is at present 
very ill with the cholica pidorium, in no wise owing, I believe, to what is 
commonly accounted the cause of it, intemperance." The allusion 
shows the reputation which Evans had already established. 

2 " Colonial Records," Vol. II. p. 117. 



114 The Family of William Penn. 

Lieutenant-Governor. His last attendance appears to have 
been September 15, 1704. He v^^as promptly taken also, as 
his father had suggested, to Pennsbury, and a meeting with 
the Indians was held. Logan says, in a letter dated 14th of 
First month (March), that the preceding week, Penn, Jr., 
himself, and Judge Mompesson " went to Pennsbury to 
meet one hundred Indians, of which nine were kings. Op- 
pewounumhook, the chief, with his neighbors who came 
thither to congratulate thy son's arrival, presented nine belts 
of wampum for a ratification of peace, &c., and had returns 
[of presents] accordingly. He [W. P., Jr.] stayed there 
with the judge, waiting Clement Plumstead's wedding with 
Sarah Eighton, formerly Biddle." ' But the social life of 
Philadelphia was undoubtedly dull, seen from the stand- 
point of a young man who had tasted and enjoyed dissipa- 
tion in England. The hopeful experiment of reformation 
through exile was doomed to failure. In July, Isaac Norris 
wrote to Jonathan Dickinson, " Our young proprietor 
seems to like the country, and talks of fetching his family ; 
but by endeavoring to sell off" all of his lands, he must give 
me leave to think otherwise. He goes to no other worship 
[than the Friends'] and sometimes comes to meeting. He 
is good-natured, and loves company, but that of Friends is 
too dull." Norris was in a position to know of the young 
man's desire to sell his lands, for the purchase of the manor 
of Williamstadt — seven thousand four hundred and eighty 
acres, on the Schuylkill — had been pressed upon him by the 
young man. He and William Trent finally bought the 
manor, and remembrance of Isaac Norris is preserved in 
the name of the borough, N"orristown, now a city in size 
and population, built upon it, and also in the name, Norriton, 
of the township adjoining.^ 

^ This marriage took place March 1, 1703/4. The bride was the widow 
of William Eighton and the daughter of William Biddle, of New Jersey, 
ancestor of the Philadelphia family of that name. 

^ A letter of Logan's, cited in Watson, Vol. I. p. 34, says, " Last night 
William Penn jun'r sold his manor on Schuylkill to William Trent and 
Isaac Norris, for £850. They were unwilling to touch it, for without a 



The Family of William Penn. 115 

Two months later, Isaac ISTorris, writing again to Jonathan 
Dickinson, reported the occurrence which put a climax upon 
the young man's stay in the little Quaker town. A sharp 
conflict between Governor Evans and the Friends was already 
established, and Norris says " their attempts to discourage 
vice, looseness, and immorality, — which increase, — are baf- 
fled by proclamations [from the Governor] making void 
their presentations" (from the mayor's court). Then he 
adds, — 

" William Penn, junior, quite gone off from Friends. He, being in 
company with some extravagants that beat the watch at Enoch Story's, 
was presented with them : which unmannerly and disrespectful act, as 
he takes it, gives him great disgust, and seems a waited occasion. He 
talks of going home in the Jersey man-of-war, next month. I wish 
things had been better, or he had never come." 

" Enoch Story's" was a tavern, a drinking-place, with the 
sign of the Pewter-Platter, in Coombe's Alley ,^ the resort, it 
would appear, of the " men about town." The story of the 
occurrence to which Isaac Norris alludes is variously told,^ 
but the main facts were that a party were drinking at Story's 
one evening, and that a dispute arose, and a fracas followed, 
in which young Penn and others were involved. The watch- 
men (who were citizens serving on this duty, a night at a 
time) came in, and in their effort to restore order were beaten 
themselves, and gave some severe blows in return.^ The 

great prospect none will now meddle with land, but in his case he was 
resolved to sell and leave the country." 

^ Afterwards Pewter-Platter Alley, opposite Christ Church, running 
from Second Street to Front. 

^ Watson's "Annals," foot-notes to the " Penn-Logan Correspond- 
ence," etc. 

' Watson says, " Penn called for pistols to pistol them, but the lights 
being put out, one fell upon young Penn and gave him a severe beating." 
Deborah Logan (foot-note to " Penn-Logan Correspondence") cites a dif- 
ferent tradition that Joseph Wilcox, an alderman — soon after mayor — 
seized the Governor, Evans, "who was one of the gentlemen's party, and 
the lights being out, gave him a severe drubbing, redoubling his blows 
upon him as a slanderer when he disclosed his quality." It is evident 
that two occurrences have been confused. One was late in August or 
very early in September, in which young Penn and "the watch" were 



116 The Family of William Penn. 

affair was " taken notice of" in the mayor's court (then 
comparatively young, established under the city charter of 
1701), but action was suppressed before the grand jury, ac- 
cording to the statement of Logan in a letter to Penn, Sen., 
on the 28th of September, Governor Evans exerting himself 
to prevent any further publicity or prosecution/ But, as 
Isaac Norris said in the letter to Jonathan Dickinson, young 
Penn was mortally affronted. He had regarded himself evi- 
dently as the future ruler of the Colony, the prince imperial, 
the heir-apparent, and as entitled to indulge his humor in a 
performance like that at Story's, if he wished. The idea 
that he was to be treated as other persons was too humili- 
ating to be endured. He accordingly broke with the 
Quakers at once, ceased to attend their meetings, and 
attached himself to the company of Lord Cornbury, Gov- 
ernor of New York and New Jersey, who about this time 
was visiting the Delaware. Logan says in the letter already 
cited, — 

" He is just now returned from Pennsbury, where he entertained the 
Lord and Lady Cornbury, and what we could not believe before, though 
for a few days past he has discoursed of it, assures us that he is resolved 
to go home from York in Jersey man-of-war, and within a week at 
furthest designs to set off from this place." 

The young man did so return. He sailed in the " Jersey" 
(some time in November, probably), and was never again 
seen at Philadelphia. It had been an unfortunate visit. He 
had injured not only himself, but his father, and added 
strength to the partly democratic and just, partly factional 
and unfair, opposition to the Proprietary interest. Logan 

concerned, and another on the evening of November 1, involving "the 
watch and some gentlemen," and also " the Mayor, [Griffith Jones] Re- 
corder, and one Alderman." By an examination of the dates and de- 
tails given in Logan's letter and the minutes in the " Colonial Records" 
(especially September 15 and November 2), the two affairs will be dis- 
tinguished. The minutes call that of November " a great fray." 

^ At a meeting of the Council, September 15, young Penn was men- 
tioned as having been proceeded against in the mayor's court. (" Colo- 
nial Records," Vol. II. p. 160. Cf. foot-note in " Penn-Logan Corre- 
spondence," Vol. I. p. 321.) 



/ 



The Family of William Penn. 117 

wrote regretfully and pathetically in a letter to Penn, from 
New Castle, on the 8th of December, — 

" 'Tis a pity his wife came not with him ; there is scarce any thing has 
a worse effect upon his mind than the belief thou hast a greater regard 
to thy second children than thy first, and an emulation between his own 
and thy younger seems too much to him in it, which, were it obviated 
by the best methods, might be of service, for he is and must be thy son, 
and thou either happy or unhappy in him. The tie is indissoluble. 



» 



The voyage in the " Jersey" was rough, as was natural for 
a crossing of the Atlantic in a sailing-ship of 1704, in mid- 
winter. In a long, sad, almost sobbing letter from Penn to 
Logan, dated at London, on the 16th of January, these 
passages occur : 

"... as for Guy no news yet ; but my son, who has come safe, though 
near foundering in the Jersey, says he believes she [Guy's brig] is lost, 
for after the storm they saw her no more. . . . nor didst thou send me 
word what my son sold his manor for ; but after all he drew a bill for 
£10 at his arrival, to ride 200 miles home, and which he performed in 
two days and a night. I met him by appointment between this and 
Worminghurst ; stayed but three hours together." 

[Earlier passage in the letter:] "The Lord uphold me under these 
sharp and heavy burdens. ... I should have been glad of an account 
of his [W. P., Jr.'s] expenses, and more of a rent-roll, that I may know 
what I have to stand upon, and help myself with. He is my greatest 
affliction for my soul's and my posterity's or family's sake-" 

Upon his return to England, young Penn endeavored to 
begin a public career. His father, in a letter from London 
(dated at Hyde Park), on the 30th of April, 1705, speaks of 
his own troubles, and adds, " with my poor son's going into 
the army or navy, as well as getting into Parliament," etc. 
A little later, May 10, he says, — 

" My son has lost his election, as also the Lord-Keeper's son-in-law, 
but both hope to recover it by proving bribery upon the two that have 
it, Lord Windsor and Squire Arsgell. I wish it might turn his face to 
privacy, and good husbandry, if not nearer to us." 

Apparently the nearing of relation did not occur. The 
young man found his wings too weak for the flights he pro- 
posed, and was soon in straits for money, which his father 



118 The Family of William Penn. 

in his own financial stress could not supply. Penn, Jr., 
wrote to Logan after his return, asking for help : 

" You must believe I cannot live here about a court without expenses 
which my attendance occasions, and I must own to you I was never so 
pinched in my life, wherefore must beg you to endeavor all you can to 
send over my effects with all speed you possibly can. ... I hear the 
prosecution against me still continues, and that they have outlawed me 
upon it : ' I have complained to my father, who tells me he has and will 
now write about it, and that I shall have right done me in it, which I do 
expect at your hands, I mean at the Quakers', who are the people that 
have given me this affront. ... as my honor has been injured, I am 
resolved to have justice done me, or run all hazards, without considera- 
tion to relation, friend, or interest in the country. 

" I desire you, if possible, to sell the remainder of my land there, 
before you send over, and make what returns you can. . . . 

"P.S. — Pray put Isaac Norris and William Trent in mind of their 
promise to send me over a pipe of old Madeira, which I shall take 
kindly. My father has promised me to write you about my charges 
there. If there be any extravagant ones, I am to bear them ; but as to 
that of books, pocket money, and clothes, with the charges of going and 
returning, he will allow." 

The young man apparently resumed his residence at 
Worminghurst upon returning to England. In a letter to 
Logan from London, 8th of Fifth month (July), 1707, at the 
time his own affairs were approaching their worst, Penn, 
Sen,, wrote, — 

"... Depend upon it, if God favors me and my son with life, one, if 
not both will come as soon as possible. Worminghurst he has at last 
resigned for sale ; so that having conquered himself and his wife too, 
who has cost me more money than she brought by her unreasonable, and 
for that reason imprudent obstinacy for dwelling there, to which she 
could have no pretence, either by family or portion, but by being my 
son's impetuous inclination; and I wish she had brought more wisdom, 
since she brought so little money, to help the family. Worminghurst, 
with some land to be sold in Ireland, about £45 per annum, will lighten 
his load as well as mine ; for his marriage, and my daughter's [Letitia's] 
too, have not helped me, — his to be sure, more especially. We are 
entering, or it seems likely we should, into nearer friendship than 
before, he knowing the world and duty to a father better ; for he has 
been of no use, but much grief and expense to me many ways and years 
too, losing him before I found him, being not of that service and benefit 

^ This was probably not the case. 



The Family of WilHam Penn. 119 

to me that some sons are, and 'tis well known I was to my father before 
I married. But oh, if yet he will recommend himself, and show himself 
a good child and a true Friend, I shall be pleased, and leave the world 
with less concern for him and the rest also." 

Isaac Il^orris, then in England, aiding in the settlement of 
Penn's affairs, and judiciously explaining to people there 
the nature of the controversies in Pennsylvania, in a letter 
to " his relations," on November 4 (1707), said, "Worming- 
hurst, that has been these many years a charge, and little 
profit, is sold well, and many debts are paid off by bills on 
Pennsylvania.^ Some Friends have been industrious in 
this, that if that of Ford's should go against him, his and 
his friends' reputations may stand the clearer, having nothing 
but that unreasonable debt against him." 

And four days later, writing to Logan, ]!^orris adds, — 

" Worminghurst is sold well, and thou wilt see bills to a considerable 
value. I have been persuaded to negotiate one, I think the largest, viz. ; 
William Buckfield's for £608. I have sent it to brother [Samuel] 
Preston for acceptance. I understand he [Buckfield] has been an old 
servant and friend of the Governor, and the debt has been ready money 
lent, and to do it [lend to Penn] has dipt into a little estate of his own 
. . . several of the Governor's friends, tho' they would have all done 
honorably, yet seem to be more particularly in care for him than others 
[creditors]. I request thee, therefore, to put good bonds into hand." 

After his father's apoplectic seizure, in 1712, William 
Penn, Jr., seems to have left his family very much — but 
probably not altogether — to the care of Hannah Penn. The 
cash-book kept at Ruscombe, as has been mentioned, con- 
tains three pages of items of money advanced on their ac- 
count by Hannah Penn between September, 1712, and 
October, 1717, the whole amount being about three hundred 
pounds. In Twelfth month, 1712, ten pounds was "paid 
Thos. Overton for their house-rent." In 1713 there are 

^ Hepworth Dixon, in his Life of Penn, says (p. 321), " He sold the 
Worminghurst estate to a 'Squire Butler for £6050, just £1550 more 
than he gave for it, after having cut down £2000 worth of timber. This 
money satisfied some of his creditors, but not all ; and one of them, a 
man named Churchill, was so importunate as to try to stop Butler's 
payment of the purchase-money." 



120 The Family of William Penn. 

payments " for fitting the children," " expence at the Chil- 
dren's going to school," eight pounds " paid Alice Ha3^s for 
Daughter's and Guli's board," cash " paid Gill. Thomson for 
Springett and Bille's board," cash paid for " Daughter's and 
Guly's board to December," etc., and cash to William Penn, 
Jr., to pay " his note due to Cousin Rooth," twenty-five 
pounds. Payments for board for " Daughter" and for the 
children continue each year down to 1717. The last entry 
of the account is cash paid " S. Arnold fop Guly's last half 
year's board & necessaries at Richard Wildman's." 

The will which William Penn the Founder made in 1701, 
at New Castle, Delaware, as he was about sailing on his 
return to England, and which was left behind in the care of 
James Logan, bestowed the Proprietorship and Governorship 
on William Penn, Jr.,^ after some bequests to Letitia 
Aubrey, John Penn, and the expected child, Thomas. 
The provisions of this will were, of course, in the father's 
mind during the period of the son's visit to Pennsylvania, 
and later, and until the will of 1712 was definitely made, — 
the sale of the Province to the Crown not being completed, 
— the young man stood in succession as Proprietary and 
Governor. When his father died, no doubt William, Jr., 
was disappointed and chagrined, if not altogether sur- 
prised, to find that he was left simply the estates which had 
been inherited by or settled on him from his mother and 
his grandfather, the Admiral. This was the provision made 
for him in the will of 1712. This will has been several 
times printed,^ but is worth giving here as part of the 
record on which the present narrative chiefly rests : 

" I WILLIAM PENN Esqr so called Cheife proprietor & Governour 
of the Province of Pensilvania and tlie Territoryes thereunto belonging, 
being of sound mind and understanding, for which I bless God, doe 
make and declare this my last Will and Testament. 

" My Eldest Son being well provided for by a Settlement of his Mothers 

^ See the will in full in " Memoirs of the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania," Vol. L p. 222. 

^ " Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania," Vol. I. p. 219; 
Penna. Mag., Vol. XIV. p. 174, etc. 



The Family of William Penn. 121 

and my ffathers Estate I give and devise the Rest of my Estate in manner 
following 

" The Government of my Province of Pennsilvania and Territories 
thereunto belonging and all powers relateing thereunto I give and devise 
to the most Hono'ble the Earle of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, and to 
"William Earle Powlett, so called, and their Heires, upon Trust to dis- 
pose thereof to the Queen or any other person to the best advantage 
they can to be applyed in such a manner as I shall herein after direct. 

" I give and devise to my dear Wife Hannah Penn and her fFather 
Thomas Callowhill and to my good ffriends Margarett Lowther my dear 
Sister, and to Gilbert Heathcote Physitian, Samuel Waldenfield, John 
ffield, Henry Gouldney, all liveing in England, and to my friends Samuel 
Carpenter, Richard Hill, Isaac Norris, Samuel Preston, and James 
Logan, liveing in or near Pensilvania and their heires All my lands 
Tenements and Hereditamts whatsoever rents and other profitts scituate 
lyeing and being in Pensilvania and the Territores thereunto belonging, 
or else where in America, upon Trust that they shall sell and dispose of 
so much thereof as shall be sufficient to pay all my just debts, and from 
and after paymt thereof shall convey unto each of the three Children of 
my son Willm Penn, Gulielma-Maria, Springett, and William respectiuely 
and to their respective heires 10,000 acres of land in some proper and 
beneficiall places to be sett out by my Trustees aforesaid. All the rest 
of my lands and Hereditamts whatsoever, scituate lyeing and being in 
America, I will that my said Trustees shall convey to and amongst Chil- 
dren which I have by my present Wife, in such proporcon and for such 
estates as my said Wife shall think fit, but before such Conveyance shall 
be made to my Children I will that my said Trustees shall convey to my 
daughter Aubrey whom I omitted to name before 10,000 acres of my 
said Lands in such places as my said Trustees shall think fitt. 

" All my p'sonall estate in Pennsilvania and elsewhere and arreares of 
rent due there I give to my said dear Wife, whom I make my sole Ex- 
ecutrix for the equall benefitt of her and her Children. 

" In Testimony whereof I have sett my hand and seal to this my Will, 
which I declare to be my last Will, revoking all others formerly made 
by me. 

"Signed Sealed and Published by the Testator William Penn in the 
presence of us who sett our names as Witnesses thereof in the p'sence of 
the said Testator after the Interlineacon of the Words above Vizt whom 
I make my sole Executrix. 



[Witnesses] 

" Sarah West 
" Robert West 
" Susanna Reading 
" Thomas Pyle 
" Robert Lomax 



[Signed] " William Penis-. 



122 The Family of William Penn. 

" This Will I made when ill of a feavour at London with a Clear un- 
derstanding of what I did then, but because of some unworthy Expres- 
sions belying Gods goodness to rae as if I knew not what I did, doe now 
that I ain recovered through Gods goodness hereby declare that it is my 
last Will and Testament at Ruscomb, in Berkshire, this 27th of the 3d 

Month, called May, 1712. 

" Wm Penn 
" Witnesses p'sent 

" Eliz Penn Mary Chandler 

" Tho : Pyle Josiah Dee 

" Tho : Penn Mary Dee 

" Eliz: Anderson 
" Postscript in my own hand 

" As a further Testimony of my love to my dear Wife I of my own 
mind give unto her out of the rents of America vizt Pensilvania £300 
a year for her naturall life and for her care and charge over my Chil- 
dren in their Education of which she knows my mind as also that I de- 
sire they may settle at least in good part in America where I leave them 
so good an Interest to be for their Inheritance from Generacon to 
Generacon which the Lord p'serve and prosper. Amen." 

The will, when a copy was sent to Pennsylvania, did not 
altogether please James Logan. He wrote to Hannah Penn,^ 
on the 4th of November, 1718 : 

" The sloop Dolphin arrived from London, bringing us divers letters, 
and among y*' rest one from Jn° Page to me with a copy of our late Pro- 
prietor's will w'*' gives me some uneasiness as being Drawn in hast I 
believe by himself only, when such a settlement required a hand better 
acquainted with affairs of that Nature. 

" The Estate in these parts is vested in so many without impowering 
any P'ticular or a suitable number to grant and Convey, that I fear we 
shall be puzzled. I hope you will take advice there what methods nriust 
be pursued in y® Case. In the meantime all the Province & Lower 
County's are in the Trustees, till y^ Mortgage is Cleared, toward w'ch if 
our remittance by this ship come safe I hope another Large tally will be 
struck by them." 

To this the extended letter of Simon Clement, of Bristol, 
the uncle of Hannah Penn, dated at London, March 6, 
1718/19, addressed to Logan, replies.^ Among other things, 
Clement says, — 

^ MS. letter in Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections. 

^ "Memoirs of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania," Vol. I. p. 233. 



The Family of William Penn. 123 

" The Proprietor's will may indeed be said to have been made in haste, 
as you guess: but it was dictated by his friend Mr. West, though the 
blunders committed therein could not have been expected from a man 
of his accuracy. The truth is that he himself had labored under a para- 
letick affection, from which he never recovered the use of his limbs one 
side, nor I believe at that time the strength of his capacity, though it 
was afterwards perfectly restored, and continued to the time of his 
death, about six months since." ' 

Clement says further in this letter that he has no fear that 
Penn's choice of trustees will prejudice the standing of his 
affairs with those now in power, — Harlej, Earl of Oxford, 
not being in 1718 the popular man he was in 1712.^ " You 
know," he says, " at that time they were the fittest that 
could be thought on ; and though they are since grown a 
little out of fashion, the using their names on this occasion 
can give no offence to those now in play. Great men lay 
no stress on such little things. I prepared a draught of a 
commission for those lords to confirm your Governor, [Keith] 
by the authority devolved upon them, which I left several 
weeks since with Lord Oxford, to peruse and communicate 
with Lord Powlet, but I can't yet get him to dispatch it. 
And you know we cannot be as pressing on men of their 
degree as we might on men of our own rank, but I shall 
continue my solicitation in it as I find opportunity." 

"William Penn, Jr., at first signified his disposition to 
acquiesce in the will's provisions, and to join his step-mother 
in carrying them out. Later he changed his mind. The 

' The meaning here is not very plain. Clement could hardly have 
imagined that Logan did not know fully about the physical condition 
of Penn between 1712 and 1718, and he surely did not mean to say that 
his mental " capacity" was ever " perfectly restored" after the stroke of 
August, 1712. 

^ Robert Harley, minister under Queen Anne, was '"at the height of 
his power" in 1711, when he was appointed Lord High Treasurer, and 
created Earl of Oxford and Earl of Mortimer. He was dismissed from 
oflSice in 1714, impeached 1715, and sent to the Tower, and in 1717, after 
being brought to trial (at his own demand), discharged. This summary 
indicates the ground of Logan's concern, to which Clement was replying. 
It may be added that some writers on Penn's will have been confused by 
Harley's title, supposing that " Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer" 
must mean two persons, and that there were thus three trustees. 



124 The Family of William Penn. 

will was admitted to probate in the Prerogative Court of 
Canterbur}', " in common form," on the 4th of IsTovember, 
1718, after some delay by William Peiui, Jr/ He had several 
meetings with Hannah Penn, in London, and Clement says 
in the letter already cited, they " mutually declared them- 
selves desirous to cultivate the former friendship in the 
family, and to submit all their differences to be decided by a 
decree in the Court of Chancery, to be obtained with as 
little expense and contest as possible, and I believe they will 
take that way at last, though the young gentleman seems 
fickle and inconstant, and has been ready to fly out once or 
twice since, and is gone again to France without putting in 
his answer to the bill for proving the will, which must there- 
fore be at a stand until his return, which he pretends shall 
be in this or the next month. His agents talk as if he be- 
lieves the will has not sufliciently conveyed the power of 
government from him, and that he will send over a governor. 
But I should think he has more discretion than to oti:er it in 
earnest, or that he would not find anybody fool enough to 
go on such an errand ; at least I am confident that your 
governor will never yield up his authentick authority to any 
person who should come up with a sham one." 

Clement was evidently unaware, as he wrote this, that 
William Penn, Jr., had already made a definite claim upon 
the Governorship and Proprietorship of Pennsylvania, and 
had sent out, several weeks before, a new commission in his 
own name to Lieutenant-Governor Keith, accompanied by 
a letter of " instructions." The letter was dated January 14, 
1718/19, and directed Keith " immediately to call together 
the Council, and with them, in the most public manner, 
make known my accession to the government of the said 

' Letter from Simon Clement to Logan, London, December 30, 1718. 
" I am very glad . . . that the country can receive no prejudice for 
want of renewing the present Governor's [Keith's] commission, which 
has been delayed principally by reason of Mr. Penn's first obstructing 
the proving his father's will in the Prerogative Court, which, however, 
he has since consented to, and 'tis done." (" Memoirs of the Histori- 
cal Society of Pennsylvania," Vol. I. p. 231.) 



The Family of William Penn. 125 

Province and Counties [upon Delaware] and assure the 
country of my great affection for them," etc. At the meet- 
ing of the Provincial Council, April 28, 1719, Keith laid the 
documents before the Council, and proposed that the As- 
sembly be immediately (Ma^- 6) called together, " in order 
to join with me and this Board in recognizing Mr. Penn's 
right and title to the Government," — to which the Council 
assented, " every member present" agreeing that the As- 
semblv should be summoned. 

The Assembly-, however, on the 9th of May, declined to 
approve the olaim of Penn, Jr., to succeed his father. They 
pointed out the provisions of the will on the subject of the 
Proprietary rights. They called Keith's attention to a law 
passed by them, and confirmed by Queen Anne, providing 
that the Governor in office at the death of the Proprietary 
should continue until further order from the Crown, or from 
the heirs of the Proprietor. And they further emphasized 
the facts that the will devised the Proprietorship to the two 
earls, and that the new commission had not the royal 
approval. Under these circumstances they advised the 
Lieutenant-Governor not to publish the new commission or 
the accompanying instructions.^ 

The Council met two days later, on the 11th, and after 
discussion, decided by "a majority above two to one" that 
the Assembly's advice was good. Later, advices were 
received from London that the Board of Trade and Planta- 
tions recognized the validity of Keith's first commission, ' 
and regarded that from Penn, Jr., as invalid. It resulted, 
therefore, that the claim of the Proprietorship and Governor- 
ship by the son came to nothing, and apparently was not 
pressed beyond the one point of sending out the commission 
and letter to Keith.' 

^ The Council's minutes say that " by means of other letters or 
accounts since received by Capt. Annis, the Assembly have fallen into 
sentiments different from what had been expected." 

^ In the Council, upon the question of concurring in the judgment of 
the Assembly, there were present Richard Hill, Jasper Yeates, William 
Trent, Isaac Norris, Jonathan Dickinson, Samuel Preston, Anthony 
Palmer, Robert Assheton, John French, and James Logan. A " majority 



126 The Family of William Penn. 

William Penn, Jr., died about two years after his 
father. The time and place of his death are variously 
given. John Jay Smith, in his address before the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania,^ says he " died in France:" Janney 
says he " died in France of a consumption ;" Maria Webb 
says he " died in the north of France, in 1720, of consump- 
tion." Upon the authority of a genealogical sketch in 
Lipscombe's "History of Buckinghamshire," cited for me 
by Rev. W. H. Summers,^ it may be said that he died at 
Liege, Belgium, June 23, 1720. His wife, Mary Penn, died 
early in December, 1733. Rebekah Butteriield's journal, 
kept at Jordans,' contains the following entry : 

"5th of 10th month, [December] 1733, Robert Jordan and John 
Gopsill was at y* burial of Mary Pen, widow, mother of y* aforesaid 
William Pen [3d] ; they came and went with y* relations." 

Three children of William Penn, Jr., and Mary Penn are 
known. These were Gulielma Maria, Springett, and Wil- 
liam, 3d. The dates of their births are given in the Friends' 

above two to one," ten members voting, would reasonably be seven to three. 
Of the latter three, as it appeared by proceedings at a subsequent meeting 
of the Council, Assheton was one. ( He was the son of William Assheton, 
of Lancashire, whose wife was a relative in some degree of William Penn 
the Founder. Robert Assheton is commonly spoken of in Penu's letters 
as "Cousin Assheton.") At the Council meeting, November 7, 1719, 
Lieutenant-Governor Keith charged Assheton, in writing, with divulging 
the proceedings of the Board, and with writing " the latter end of August 
or beginning of September last," to William Penn, Jr., assuring him of his 
friendship, and attacking him (Keith) for not publishing the new com- 
mission, etc. Keith professed to give the substance of the letter from 
Assheton to Penn, iiiter alia that he (Assheton) "was Mr. Penn's stiff 
friend, and had stickl'd for him, tho' to no effect hitherto, because he 
had only one member of the Council to join him ; that though the 
bearer [of the letter] was a stranger to Mr. Penn, yet being heartily 
recommended to his favor by these letters he might freely take an 
opportunity over a bottle to assure Mr. Penn that these things were 
unquestionably true." It resulted that Assheton, upon Keith's demand, 
left the Council, though later, 1722, he again became a member. 

* "Penn-Logan Correspondence," Vol. 1. p. xv. 
» MS. letter, March 25, 1897. 

* Cited in Mr. Summers's "Memories of Jordaus and the Chalfonts," 
p. 242. 



The Family of William Penn. 127 

records (at London) for Surrey and Sussex. Information 
concerning them may be concisely stated as follows : 



CHILDREN OF WILLIAM PENN, JR., AND MARY. 

1. Gulielma Maria Penn, born Ninth month (November) 10, 
1699, at "Worminghurst ; the " beauty" and " sweet girl" of 
her grandfather's letters. She married, " early in life," 
Awbrey Thomas. He was the son of Rees and Martha 
Thomas, who came from Wales to Pennsylvania and settled 
in Merion in 1691. Martha, his mother, was an Awbrey, 
the sister of William Awbrey (or Aubrey), who married 
Letitia Penn.^ Awbrey Thomas was born Eleventh month 
(January) 30, 1694. He " visited England," and there 
married Gulielma Maria Penn (as above). " He did not 
long survive his marriage, and died without issue, proba- 
bly in England." His widow married, second, Charles 
Fell, who was the son of Charles, son of George, son of 
Judge Thomas Fell, of Swarthmore Hall.^ By her mar- 
riage with Charles Fell, Gulielma Maria (Penn) Thomas 
had a son, Robert Edward Fell, "who in the year 1756 
was promoted to a captaincy of marines. Afterwards he 
became a lieutenant-colonel in the army, under which title 
he lodged a pedigree in the Herald's Office, and procured 
a confirmation of arms in the year 1770 ; he was then de- 
scribed as Robert Edward Fell of St. Martin's in the Fields, 
Middlesex. His will . . . was proved the 28th of February, 
1787, by Thomas Brookholding, his sole executor and the 
husband of his niece Philadelphia. There is no evidence 
of his having been a married man ; but in his will he leaves 
his sword and pistols to his nephew, William Hawkins New- 
combe."^ There are several letters from him in the col- 

^ She was his second wife. Cf. article by George Vaux, Penna. 
Mag., Vol. XIII. p. 294. 

' Watson, " Annals," Vol. I. p. 121, quotes from the London Gazette, 
year 1724, a paragraph that " Mrs. Gulielma Maria Fell, granddaughter 
of the famous Quaker, Sir William Penn, was publicly baptized in the 
parish church of St. Paul, Convent Garden, in October last." 

' Maria Webb, " The Fells of Swarthmore Hall," p. 356. 



128 The Family of William Penn. 

lections of the Pennsylvania Historical Society, addressed 
to Thomas Penn. In July, 1770, he was an officer of Lord 
Loudoun's regiment, and stationed at Limerick, Ireland. 
He acknowledges the favor of Thomas Penn having paid 
money for him " to Mr. Barclay" (probably John Barclay, 
of Dublin), and " having been obliged to make new Regi- 
mentals for the Review," he has drawn for ten pounds 
more of money coming from his mother's estate, — show- 
ing that his mother, Gulielma Maria Fell, was then dead, 
and indicating that Thomas Penn was the executor of her 
estate. 

There were two other children of Charles and Gulielma 
Maria Fell, (1) Mary Margaretta, who married John Barron, 
and (2) Gulielma Maria Frances, who married John New- 
comb. May 26, 1750, M. M. Barron writes to Thomas Penn, 
from Leeds, a cordial family letter, in which she alludes to 
her husband.^ August 24, 1750, J. Newcomb writes from 
Frowlesworth to Thomas Penn. He and his wife have been 
boarding, but find it " very disagreeable," and propose 
housekeeping at Michaelmas. He asks for money. He 
speaks of " our little girl," who is at present at Hackney. 
Another letter from the same to the same, October 22, 
1750, announces the birth of " a fine little boy," to " my 
dear little woman," the previous day, and that " by her 
particular Desire" he has been named Thomas Penn New- 
comb.^ 

It seems to be commonly assumed that this line of Wil- 
liam Penn the Founder, through his granddaughter, Guli- 
elma Maria Penn, and Charles Fell, is now extinct. 

2. Springett Penn, born Twelfth month (February) 10, 
1700/1, at Worminghurst. He was the " Saracen" of his 
grandfather's letters. He did not marry. It is probable that 
he spent much of his time in Ireland. There are a few letters 
from or relating to him in the collections of the Pennsyl- 
vania Historical Society. One from John Penn to him, 
dated London, August 3, 1727, on a business topic, is 
freezingly severe in tone. Springett, however, was evi- 

^ MS. letter, Historical Society of Pennsylvania. ^ Ibid. 




LADV JFLTAXA PENN 



The Family of William Penn. 129 

dently not one to permit lectures from his half-uncle — a 
man of very nearly his own age — to disturb his equanimity. 
There is a letter from him to John some time later ; it is 
dated "Stoke, March 13, 1728-9,'' and begins "Dear 
Jack ;" it ends thus : 

" Perhaps Alderman Tom knows more of y" matter than either of us, 
for it seems he was pleased to receive y® Gentleman's Request very 
favorably, turned his Quidd w"" great Gravity, & gave an assenting 
nodd. Now if you have fed y* poor Gentleman with hopes and at y® 
same time cautioned me, y' Devil take you & his Worship y® Ald'n ; 
if otherwise, be free in communicating yo' thoughts to my Bro Will, & 
he'll save you y*" trouble of writing them to 

" Yo'r afF Nephew & hum. Servt : 

" Springett Pexn." 

Springett Penn joined with Hannah Penn (his step- 
grandmother), in 1725, in appointing Patrick Gordon Lieu- 
tenant-Governor of Pennsylvania. The chancery suit over 
the Founder's will was not then settled. At the meeting of 
the Council, at Philadelphia, June 22, 1726, the commission 
of Major Gordon "from Springett Penn, Esquire, with the 
assent of Mrs. Hannah Penn, and his Majesty's royal appro- 
bation thereof," was produced and read, and " was forth- 
with published at the court-house." Springett Penn died 
in Dublin, Ireland, 8th February, 1731.^ 

3. William Penn, 3d. He was born, as appears by the 
Friends' records, at Worminghurst, First month (March) 21, 
1703, and made then the " minimus" of the three Williams. 
He was twice married, and through his first wife descends 
the Penn-Gaskell branch of the Founder's family. This line 
will be more fully spoken of in a later chapter. 

IX. THOMAS PENN. 

Three children of William Penn and Hannah Callowhill, 
as we have seen, were married, — Thomas, Margaret, and 

^ This date is given by Mr. Keith, in his article on the Penn Family 
in Appleton's " American Biography." In the Breviate in the Boundary 
Case (p. 444) it is stated as occurring December 30, 1730. 

10 



130 The Family of William Penn. 

Richard. Of Margaret (Freame) we have already spoken.^ 
It remains, in this branch of the Founder's family, to speak 
of Thomas and Richard and their descendants. We there- 
fore take up Thomas and his line. 

At the death of his father, Thomas was in his seventeenth 
year, — an apprentice, as we have seen, with Michael Russell, 
in London. Apparently he resided in the city from that 
time until he came to Pennsylvania in 1732. Here he stayed 
nine years, and in 1741 returned to England. In 1751 he 
was married ; in 1776 he died. About 1728 he appears 
to have been engaged in business of some sort in London, 
and to have had a partner. He writes to his brother John, 
April 26 of that year, and signs the letter " Thomas Penn 
and Company;" in it he speaks of "my business on part- 
nership, of which I some time since acquainted thee." ^ 

It is as the principal Proprietor of Pennsylvania for 
nearly thirty years that Thomas Penn has distinction. His 
influential connection with the Province was second only to 
that of his father. 

The will of the Founder remained in dispute for nine 
years, 1718 to 1727. A summary of the several steps in the 
case is given in the " Breviate in the Boundary Dispute," ^ 
and the subsequent arrangements concerning the Proprie- 
tary estate are outlined in an article by the late Eli K. Price, 
in the American Law Register for August, 1871. Probate of 
the Founder's will was granted at Doctors' Commons, No- 
vember 14-18, 1718. Hannah Penn then executed a" Deed 
Poll of Appointment," upon her powers under the will, by 
which she assigned half of Pennsylvania and the Delaware 
counties to her son John, and divided the other half between 
Thomas, Richard, and Dennis. In October, 1721, a suit was 
begun by Hannah Penn, in the Court of Exchequer, in her 
own right and for her five children (who were then all 
minors), to establish the will and her and the children's 
rights under it against all the other parties in interest, — 

^ Some further details concerning her may be given later. 

^ MS. letter in Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections. 

^ "Pennsylvania Archives," 2d series, Vol. XVI. 



The Family of William Penn. 131 

the two earls to whom the powers of government were de- 
vised ; Springett Penn, as heir-at-law of William Penn, Jr. ; 
the survivino; trustees in Pennsylvania, named in Penn's 
will ; and the younger children of William Penn, Jr.^ 
This suit in the Exchequer Court, after man}^ delays, during 
which Dennis Penn, Henry Gouldney (one of the mort- 
gagees), the Earl of Oxford, and Hannah Penn all died, was 
decided favorably to the will July 4, 1727. The " family 
deed sextipartite," to which an allusion has been made, was 
then framed, by which it was agreed that John Penn should 
have half the Pennsylvania and Delaware property, Thomas 
one-fourth, and Richard one-fourth, and that John's share 
should be charged with certain money payments to Mar- 
garet (Freame). In 1729/30, January 13 and 14, " Indent- 
ures of Lease and Release" were executed by the two sur- 
viving trustees of the old Ford mortgage, Joshua Gee and 
John Woods, to the three brothers, in the shares agreed on, 
half to John, a quarter to Thomas, and the other quarter to 
John and Thomas, as trustees for Richard. June 24, 1735, 
Samuel Preston and James Logan, surviving trustees in 
Pennsylvania under the will, released the estates on their 
part. The will of the Founder was thus established, and 
the enjoyment of the Proprietary rights lodged in the pos- 
session of the three surviving sons of his second wife. 

There had been some question in the minds of the young 
Proprietaries what use to make of their inheritance. Prior 
to Springett Penn's death, in 1730 (? 1731), a negotiation 
with him had been on foot to sell to him and his brother 
William a life-right in the Proprietorship, and there was an- 
other negotiation for the purchase by John, Thomas, and 
Richard of all Springett's claims. After his death the 
claims of William Penn, 3d, were extinguished by the 
payment to him of five thousand five hundred pounds.^ 

^ The reference to Gulielma Maria, his daughter, in this suit, shows 
that she was then the wife of Aubrey Thomas. 

^ This sum was secured to him by a mortgage, and on this he borrowed 
two thousand five hundred pounds of Alexander Forbes, his father-in- 
law. The mortgage was finally extinguished by the tliree Proprietaries, 
January 29, 1740/41. 



132 The Family of William Penn. 

Thomas Penn's residence in Philadelphia covered nine 
years, — the later period of Governor Gordon's administra- 
tion, and his death; the interval, 1736-38, in which James 
Logan was acting Governor; and the first three years of 
Governor Thomas's perturbed administration. During these 
nine years the State-House, now Independence Hall, was 
built and Christ Church was given its present dimensions, 
the " Indian Walk" took place, and the great Indian Council 
of 1736 was held in the Friends' meeting-house at Second 
and Market Streets. This was the period when the " Pala- 
tine" German immigration was at full height, and the 
Scotch-Irish were also coming freely. 

Leaving England in the summer of 1732, Thomas Penn 
reached the Delaware in August, and landed at Chester 
on the 11th of that month. An express rode with a letter 
from him to Governor Gordon, at Philadelphia, and that 
official hastened to receive him with due honor. The Gov- 
ernor, " and all the members of the Council who were able 
to travel, accompanied with a very large number of gentle- 
men," set out next day for Chester, waited on him, and paid 
him their compliments in due form. That he was embar- 
rassed by the ceremonial, as the story attributed to Keimer 
the printer, cited in Watson, avers, is not very probable ; he 
does not appear to have been a person unequal to the de- 
mands of the station he occupied, whether it might be that 
of mercer's apprentice or something higher. The company 
dined at Chester, then set out for Philadelphia, and near the 
city the mayor, recorder, and aldermen, " with a great body 
of people," met the party and extended the civic welcome. 
There was general anxiety to see the visitor, for since the 
brief stay of William, Jr., twenty-eight years before, and 
his angry departure, there had been none of the family 
of the Founder seen here. There were crowds in the 
streets as the cavalcade entered, and women and children 
gathered on the balconies and door-stoops to see the new 
arrival, — "a son of William Penn!" That they found a 
personable man we may infer from the portraits of him. 

The stories which were told afterwards of Thomas Penn, 



The Family of William Penn. 133 

the outcome of his stay here, are preserved by the omniv- 
orous Watson, and may be read in his " Annals." They 
represent his manners as cold. This may have been. I 
presume him to have been a self-contained and somewhat 
formal man, with little disposition to what in a later day has 
been called "gush." The democratic colonists doubtless 
tried him by the tradition, then still fresh among them, of 
his father's gracious and graceful manner, and they are said 
to have found his brother John, when he came two years 
later, a more afiable person. We may take from Watson 
the story of that worthy Welshman, descendant of the 
bards of Cambria, the Reverend Hugh David, who visited 
Thomas Penn to read him a congratulatory poem recalling 
the honorable connection of the Penns with the royal house 
of Tudor, and who retired from the presence much disap- 
pointed. Relating his experience afterwards to Jonathan 
Jones, of Merion, Hugh said with great disgust, " He spoke 
tome but three sentences: 'How dost thou do?' 'Fare- 
well !' ' The other door !' " It is past denial that such brevity 
of speech and lack of poetic appreciation must ligure poorlj^ 
in the Welsh chronicle. 

Thomas Penn addressed himself Avith energy to the Pro- 
prietary affairs. The situation had greatly changed since 
the days of continuous outlay and no income in the first 
years of the settlement, and of perpetual struggle to balance 
income and outgo in the period when the Founder broke 
down. There was now a large revenue from the sale of 
lands and quit- rents, and the expense of the government 
could be sustained by the increasing numbers of the 
people. 

In September, 1734, John Penn arrived at Philadelphia 
with his sister Margaret — the " Pegg" of the Ruscombe 
family life — and her husband Thomas Freame,^ and now all 
the children of Hannah Callowhill but Richard — for Dennis 

^ Thomas Freame had come over earlier, probably in 1732, and had 
returned to England. With some persuasion his wife now accompanied 
him to Pennsylvania. She finally returned to England in 1741 with 
her brother Thomas. 



134 The Family of William Penn, 

had died in 1722 — were gathered at Philadelphia. John re- 
turned to London in a year, to carry on the controversy with 
Lord Baltimore over the Maryland boundary, but Thoraas 
and the Freames remained at Philadelphia. 

Thoraas Penn established himself at Philadelphia in a 
residence between Bush Hill and the Schuylkill, with 
grounds esteemed handsome in that day, and long known 
as the " Proprietor's Garden." A young Virginian, Daniel 
Fisher, who had come to Philadelphia to seek his fortune, 
and who walked late in the afternoon of the first day of the 
week in May, 1755, "two miles out of town," found the 
garden, though somewhat neglected, more attractive, he 
thought, than that of ex-Governor James Hamilton at Bush 
Hill. It was, he says, " laid out with more judgment." The 
house, of brick, was "but small," with a kitchen, etc., 
"justly contrived for a small rather than a numerous family," 
— a bachelor's establishment, plainly. " It is pleasingly situ- 
ated," says the writer, " on an eminence, with a gradual 
descent, over a small valley, to a handsome, level road, out 
through a wood, afibrdini>: an aj^reeable vista of near two 
miles." The greenhouse, at that season empty, its plants 
and flowers disposed in the pleasure-garden, " surpassed 
everything of its kind" Daniel Fisher had seen in America, 
and he looked with pleasure on " a good many orange, 
lemon, and citron trees, in great perfection, loaded with 
abundance of fruit, and some of each sort seemingly ripe." 
There was also a neat little deer park, but he was told that 
no deer were then kept in it. 

At the time of Daniel Fisher's visit to the Proprietor's 
Garden, Thomas Penn had been absent from Philadelphia 
fourteen years. He returned to England in 1741. He had 
taken a somewhat active part in the affairs of the Province, 
especially in the treaties and conferences with the Indians, 
and had been occasionally present at the meetings of the 
Governor's Council. The Council's minutes record him as 
present March 26, 1741, and at a meeting October 14, that 
year, several Cayuga chiefs being present, Governor Thomas 
told them that " Mr. Penn had hoped to have seen the Chief 



The Family of William Penn. 135 

of their Nations here this summer, but being disappointed, 
and being obliged to go for England, he had left the Gov- 
ernor in his place." 

The Pennsylvania Gazette, August 20, 1741, has this para- 
graph : 

" This Day the Honourable Thomas Penn, Esq., one of the Proprie- 
tors of this Province, attended by a Great Number of the Principal In- 
habitants of this City, set out for New York, in order to embark on 
board his Majesty's Ship Squirrel, Capt. Peter Warren Commander, for 
Qreat Britain." 

Apparently he did not sail from New York, however, but 
from a port in New England, and his ship did not get away 
until October. The following letter to Richard Hockley,^ 
who was about to sail from England for Pennsylvania, to 
act as agent for Thomas Penn, gives the time and circum- 
stances of his arrival in England : 

" Dear Dickey : 

" As we have been in pain for you, hearing Privateers were off our 
Capes, and shoud have great pleasure in hearing you were safe, I con- 
clude it has fared so with you, and that you will be glad to hear my 
Sister [Margaret Freame], with her Children and myself are arrived, in 
perfect health, as wee have been ever since our departure, which was 
this day five weeks from New England ; wee expected after seeing the 
mast ship in the morning to have proceeded to Portsmouth, but the 
wind blowing hard at South our Captain judged propper to put in here, 
where it blows hard, but as soon as the wind is fair wee propose to sail 
for Portsmouth, from where I shall be very glad to see you. Enclosed 
is a letter from my Brother which put in the Post if he is not in Town, 
and desire Joseph Frearae to get the enclosed bill for £1000 accepted 
and take his receipt for it. Wee all affectionately salute you, and I am 

" Your Very Sincere Friend, 

" Tho : Penn 
" Plymouth Harboe, Nov 22d 1741." 

The death of John Penn, in 1746, left Thomas Penn the 
holder of three-fourths of the Proprietary and family land 
in Pennsj-lvania and Delaware. One-fourth had come to 
him in fee, as we have seen, and two-fourths had been left 

^ Penn MSS., Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 



136 The Family of William Penn. 

him in life-right by John. He thus became, prospectively 
if not already, a rich man. Thenceforward for almost 
thirty years, to his death in 1775, he was the chief of the 
Penn fjimily and a figure of the first importance in the 
public afiiiirs of Pennsylvania. Throughout the period fol- 
lowing his return to England he was continually in corre- 
spondence with the Lieutenant-Governors and other officials, 
and with his legal and business representatives in Pennsyl- 
vania, and the mass of letters from and to him, in the 
collections now owned by the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania, is so extensive that it has been fully examined by 
but few persons. 

Thomas Penn's letters bear the mark of an energetic, 
prudent, and capable man. His and the other Proprietary 
correspondence, Mr. W. R. Shepherd says,^ after a fuller 
and more careful inspection than almost any one else has 
given, is creditable to the writers. " Our real cause for 
surprise," he thinks, " should be that in their voluminous 
correspondence with their officers in the Province, so few 
harsh and unkindly expressions appear." 

The change in Thomas's financial condition made by the 
inheritance of John's half of the property was important. 
Down to that time, according to his own statement, in a 
letter of October 9, 1749, to Richard Peters,^ he had spent, 
year by year, almost the whole of his income. " People 
imagine, because we are at the head of a large province," 
he says, " we must be rich ; but I tell you that for fifteen 
years, from 1732 to 1747, I laid by [only] about £100 a 
year." He had been inclined to think, as is shown in a letter 
from Margaret Freame to their brother John Penn, in 1736, 
that he was doing in Pennsylvania the chief work for the 
united Proprietary interest, and should have corresponding 
compensation. He suggested, she wrote John, that he 
should be paid three thousand pounds for his expenses in 

^"Proprietary Governmeat in Pennsylvania," by William Robert 
Shepherd. New York, 1896. 

^ Copy of letter in Historical Society of Pennsylvania collections. 



The Family of William Pemt. 137 

managing tlie family affairs here, — two thousand pounds by 
John and one thousand pounds by Richard.^ 

While in Pennsylvania Thomas Penn engaged in some 
commercial ventures. John Barclay — one of the sons of 
Robert Barclay, author of the famous Quaker book, the 
"Apology" — was a merchant in Dublin, Ireland, and to 
him Thomas consigned flaxseed and flour.^ 

After returning to England, Thomas Penn lived in London 
for a time. Letters in 1743 were addressed to him, " To the 

^ Extracts from this letter, dated Philadelphia, June 14, 1736 : 

" We [Margaret and Thomas Freame, no doubt] went up to Pennsbury, 
where we could not be long by ourselves ; at last we got an opportunity 
to speak to our brother." He was " pretty warm" over a proposal of 
John's, " but on thinking it over became more mild." He would not, 
however, send a proposed power-of-attorney (for the sale of some prop- 
erty, apparently), " for you att home [John and Richard] that dont love 
any trouble will dispose of it for what you can get. . . . He much 
wonders at my brother Richard's declining to come over. . . . I heartily 
wish all your affairs were so well settled as the Family might enjoy life 
rather than suffer it." 

The Freames, at this time, were remaining in Pennsylvania for the 
purpose of selling their lands, some of which appear to have been at 
Tulpehocken, in what is now Berks County. Thomas Freame writes to 
John Penn that there are plenty desiring to buy, but they want small 
tracts and have little ready money, while he wishes to sell in large blocks 
and for cash. He says, writing from Philadelphia, March 22, 1736/7, " I 
met with a very great Disappointment, for those Dutchmen that I wrote 
you were about a large part of my Land went up with me to see it. 
They approved of the Land and agreed w"" me for a price, so that I 
began to think of seeing you this Summer, I having been informed that 
they had sixteen hundred pounds in Gold by them, but it proved other- 
wise, for they would pay but £150 this summer and the rest Six years 
hence. This would have done very well if I could afford to let my 
money lay at Interest, but that is not what I want, therefore I did 
nothing with them." Later, in September, 1736, he again writes to 
John that as soon as he is able to ride (he had been unwell) he is going 
to Tulpehocken " with some Palatines lately come in, to whom I have 
some expectation of disposing of half that tract." 

^ John Barclay signs himself in his letters " thy sincere friend and 
affectionate kinsman," but the relationship is not clear. It was John 
Barclay's niece, Christian Forbes, who had married William Penn, 
Jr.'s, son, William Penn, 3d, in 1732, but this could hardly be regarded 
as creating kinship with Thomas. 



138 The Family of William Penn. 

care of Mr. John Samuel, Merch't, in Three Kings Court, 
Lombard street," and in 1745 and 1746 " at Mr. Draper's, 
Apothecary, in Charles Street, Convent Garden." He was, 
however, much in the country with John, first at Feens, 
where John continued to live after returning from Pennsyl- 
vania in 1735,^ and later at a place called Hurley, or Hurley 
Place, near Maidenhead, in Berks, to which John appears 
to have removed from Feens a year or more before his 
death, John's health had not been good. There are fre- 
quent allusions in the letters to his illness, and Bishop 
Vickris, writing to Thomas from Bristol, in October, 1746 
(near the time of John's death), much regretted the removal 
from Feens to Hurley.^ 

Thomas Penn had expected to return to Pennsylvania. 
In a letter to Richard Peters, at Philadelphia, March 13, 
1744, giving him a message for the Indians, he says to tell 
them, " And, as for myself, that I fully expected to return 
before this time, but some affairs have hindered me; how- 
ever, I hope to be in America some time the next year." 

^ Feens was rented during John's absence, with its furniture, etc., and 
"three fields" to a Walter Fisher for £32 2s. a year. The housekeeper 
at the place was named Hannah Roberts. John Penn, after his return 
to England, writes, December 2, 1735, to Thomas Penn, his steward or 
agent (not of the family apparently, but a Penn, perhaps of Bucks; 
there are several letters to and from him in the Historical Society's col- 
lections), "at Walgrave, near Twyford, Berks," thus: "I much want 
to know if the Gentleman is Returned to feen's & when he will leave it, 
for I should Like to come down next Week if the house is Clear, want 
to know also if you have gott me a man for the Garden & horses, & if 
you hear anything of a Person for the house that can Shave and Write 
pretty well. I shall likewise want a maid servt. I wish you could gett 
some good small beer brewed soon to be fitt to drink at Xmass. if Dick 
Willfins or Underwood has a good Sober Easy troting horse, shall want 
one when I come down." 

^ " I find you have got him into a more healthy and dry air, but I 
fear ray Good Friend, tis too late in the day. Oh how I lament his 
ever putting a foot in that baneful place at Hurley, I greatly feared the 
Consequences and often Dissuaded him from it." A bill for repairs at 
" Hurley Great House," up to October 17, 1746, a few days before John's 
death, was paid by the executors of his estate, William Vigor, Joseph 
Freame, and Lascelles Metcalf. 




CHILDREN OF TllO.MA.S PENN 



The Family of William Penn. 139 

And in a letter a few weeks later, May 9, he says, " I can't 
think of seeing Philadelphia until the latter end of summer 
twelvemonth." 

Thomas Penn married, August 22, 1751, Lady Juliana 
Fermor, fourth daughter of Thomas, first Earl of Pomfret, 
The Gentleman's Magazine for September, 1751, reports the 
marriage : 

" Aug. 22. Hon. Thos. Penn (one of the two proprietors of Pennsyl- 
vania) was married to Lady Juliana Fermor, youngest ^ daughter to the 
E. of Pomfret." 

And the Pennsylvania Gazette, November 14, 1751, has the 
following paragraph : 

"By Capt. Hinton [ship " Philadelphia,'' John Hinton, from London] 
there is advice that the Honourable Thomas Penn Esq; one of our 
Proprietaries, was married the 22nd of August last, to the Lady Juliana 
Fermor, youngest daughter of the Eight Honourable the late'" Earl of 
Pomfret." 

In a letter to Richard Peters, September 29, 1751, Thomas 
Penn wrote, — 

" As some of your letters are of a private nature, I shal now reply to 
such of them as I have not taken notice of in my letter of business, but 
first I shall tell you that for some time before I met with that unfortu- 
nate, and what had like tn have been fatal accident, I had determined 
on a change of life, and had settled all the necessary points and made 
visits to the lady, which I resumed on my return to Berkshire, and wee 
consummated our marriage the 22nd of last month. This necessarily 
engaged my mind as well as person til finished, that I could not sit 
down to write, but as my grand business is now finished, and I am 
happily settled with a companion possessed with those qualities that 
must render a reasonable man happy as well as of a Family remarkable 
for their affection to each other, and into which I have been received 
with marks of the greatest regard, I shall now sit down as a corre- 
spondent to answer all my friends' letters. 

"... Wee are turning our thoughts toward Pennsylvania, and if I 

^ There is an error, apparently, in the statement that she was the 
youngest daughter ; two others, according to the list in Burke, were 
younger than she. 

^ "Late" is an error; he was then living, and died two years after, in 
1753. 



140 The Family of William Penn. 

should be prevented from embarking the very next summer, if I live till 
the spring after, I make no doubt of being ready then." ^ 

The " unfortunate" and nearly " fatal accident" alluded 
to above I have not found described in the Penn papers, 
though it is, I am told, referred to in some of them. It is 
said that Thomas and his brother Richard were riding in a 
coach out of London, and having pistols with them, — for 
fear of highwaymen, probably, — one of the weapons, in 
handling, was accidentally discharged, causing a peculiar 
and serious wound upon Thomas's person. Evidently this 
occurrence was a few months earlier than August, 1751. 

Lady Juliana Fermor was born in 1729, and was there- 
fore much younger — some twenty-seven years — than her 
husband, being, in fact, a woman in her youth at the time 
of her marriage. There are several portraits of her pre- 
served,^ and one of these, a small full-length, painted by 
Peter Van Dyck (a descendant, it is said, of the great Van 
Dyck) about the time of the marriage, represents her as 
a well-looking lady, in her wedding-dress of white silk, 
made in a style which illustrates strikingly the fashion of 
the time, the skirt being spread out by hoops to enormous 
dimensions sidewise. She stands near the fireplace of a 
handsome room, presumed to be in her father's house in 
Albemarle Street, London. 

This marriage was an event of high importance to Thomas 
Penn and to all of his family, most of whom, we may feel 
sure, had theretofore regarded him as a confirmed bachelor, 
— he was nearly fifty, — and had been not inconsiderate how 
his valuable estate as well as his present bounties would be 
ultimately bestowed. An agreement had been made in 
1732 between the three brothers, John, Thomas, and Rich- 
ard, " to devise their shares [of the Proprietary estate] to the 
eldest son in tail male, remainder to other sons in like man- 

^ He never realized these expectations ; he did not again come to 
Pennsylvania. 

' Most of them in the possession of her descendant, the Earl of Ran- 
furly, at Dungannon Park, Ireland. Cf. article by W. M. Conway, 
Penna. Mag., Vol. VIII. 



The Family of William Penn. 141 

ner," and upon failure of these to other members of the 
family in succession ; this agreement was confirmed by 
Thomas and Richard in 1750, and meantime John, in his 
will, 1746, had left his estate to Thomas for life, with re- 
mainder to his first son, " in tail male," and then succes- 
sively, in like manner, to the other sons. By this will of 
John, the will of Richard Penn, and the marriage agree- 
ment of Thomas, to be mentioned presently, the descent of 
the Proprietary estates was fixed. 

The Fermors (Farmers, Farmars) were a family of 
greater social distinction, in the year 1751, than Thomas 
Penn. They accounted themselves as having had an 
ancestor among those Norman invaders of England who 
were enriched at Saxon expense in the Conqueror's time, 
and they had reached knighthood in 1586, baronetcy in 
1641, and the peerage in 1692. 

Their seat was at Easton Neston, in Northamptonshire, 
where Sir George Fermor (knighted by Elizabeth in 1586) 
had entertained James I., in 1603, so acceptably that his son, 
Hatton Fermor, was also made a knight by that charming 
and generous monarch.' In 1641, the family being then 
staunchly royalist, Charles I. made a baronet of Sir William 
Fermor, and in 1692 his son Sir William, being then 
equally in favor with William III., was made a peer, with 
the title of Baron Lempster. Lord Lempster married three 
times, his third wife being Sophia, daughter of Thomas, 
Duke of Leeds, and one of his children by her was Thomas 
Penn's father-in-law, the second Baron Lempster, who was 
made by George I. Earl of Pomfret (Pontefract, in York- 
shire, pronounced Pomfret) in 1721. He married, 1720, 

^ Robert Fermor (or in after-spelling Farmer and Farmar),a younger 
son of Sir George of Easton Neston, went to Ireland in the army of Eliza- 
beth, received coniiscated Irish estates in Cork and Tipperary, and was 
"slain" in that island in some of the fighting there. His grandson, 
Major Jasper Farmar, a neighbor of William Penn's at Shangarry, be- 
came a purchaser of land in Pennsylvania at the early settlement, and 
coming over in the ship " Bristol Merchant," in 1685, died on the voyage. 
Major Farmar's son, Edward Farmar, was later a prominent citizen at 
Whitemarsh, near Philadelphia. 



142 The Family of William Penn. 

Henrietta Louisa, daughter of John Lord Jeffreys, and had 
a large family, — Burke gives a list of eleven children. The 
eldest, George, succeeded to the peerage on the death of his 
father in 1753. Four died young. One daughter, Henri- 
etta, married, 1747, John Conyers, Esq., of Copt House, 
Essex ; Sophia married John Carteret, Earl Granville ; 
Charlotte married "William Finch, Esq., and died in 1813. 
These were older than Lady Juliana; the two younger, 
according to Burke's list, were Louisa, who married Sir 
Thomas Clayton, Bart., and Anne, who married, July 15, 
1754, Thomas, first Viscount Cremorne, the husband, later, 
of Philadelphia Hannah Freame.^ 

The Earldom of Pomfret, it may be here mentioned, be- 
came extinct June 8, 1867, by the death of the fifth Earl, 
George William Richard (born December 31, 1824), who 
was unmarried. He was the great-grandson of Thomas, the 
first Earl, fiither of Lady Juliana Penn.^ 

The marriage with Lady Juliana was preceded by elabo- 
rate property arrangements. The settlement made upon 
her and the children whom she might have was drawn up 
with great care and a prodigious expenditure of legal 
phraseology. August 14, 1751, eight days before the mar- 
riage, the bridegroom expectant executed a " Lease for a 
year in order to the Settlement upon the marriage of Thomas 
Penn with Lady Juliana Farnior," and later the settlement 
was executed, quadripartite, Thomas Penn being of the first 
part; "the Right Honourable Thomas, Earl of Pomfret, 
Baron of Lempster, and Knight of the most Honourable 

^ Philadelphia Hannah, born at Philadelphia in 1740 (not 1746, as is 
twice by mistake stated in preceding pages of this essay), was married 
to Lord Cremorne, May 8, 1770, and had a son and a daughter who both 
died young. 

^ John Jay Smith, in his address {" Penn-Logan Correspondence," Vol. 
I.), cites some information as to this last Earl. Granville John Penn 
(Thomas Penn's grandson) had been his guardian. He left two sisters, 
one married to Sir Thomas George Hesketh, M. P., of RufFord Hall, 
Leicestershire, and the other to Colonel Thomas W. Ogilvy. Portions 
of his property descended to these sisters and to his cousin. Sir George 
William Denys, of Draycott Hall, Yorkshire. 



The Family of William Peiin. 143 

Order of the Bath," of the second; Lady Juliana, of the 
third ; and Messrs. Barclay ^ & Hyam, the Quaker merchants 
of London, of the fourth part. It can hardly be supposed 
that any one but the lawyers — and possibly Thomas Penn — 
ever read in full this latter extended document, much less fol- 
lowed intelligently all its repetitious details. The original, 
on eight skins of parchment, each twenty-six by thirty-four 
inches, is in the collections of the Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania. Printed in the private volume prepared in 
1870 by the late William Henry Rawle, American counsel 
for the family,^ it covers sixty- four pages octavo, in solid 
array, without the relief of one paragraphic break. 

The effect of this settlement was to leave Thomas Penn's 
property, including the Proprietary estate in Pennsylvania, 
to (himself) the settler's use for life, with remainder to his 
eldest son by Lady Juliana, " in tail male," with remainder 
then to their second son, then to the third and every other 
son successively, then to his first and other sons successively 
by any other wife, then to his brother Richard Penn, then 
to his nephew John Penn, 2d, eldest son of Richard, then 
to the first and every other son successively of John Penn, 
then to Richard, 2d, son of Richard (brother of John, 2d), 
then to Richard Penn, 2d's, eldest son, then to Richard, 
2d's, second son, then to Richard, 2d's, third and other sons 
successively, — all these being " in tail male." Finall}^, all 
these failing, — which as a matter of fact they all did by the 
year 1869, something over a century after this extended en- 
tailment in the male line, — the property was to descend to 
the heirs of Thomas Penn " in tail general." It is by virtue 
chiefly of this last clause in the settlement that the present 
and recent heirs of the Penn property in Pennsylvania, in 
the line of the Founder's second marriage, are the Stuarts 
of Bedfordshire (of whom we shall speak later), descend- 
ants of Thomas Penn's daughter, Sophia Margaretta. 

^ This was David Barclay, another son of Robert of Ury, the " Apolo- 
gist," and brother to John of Dublin, already mentioned. 

^ " Articles, Wills, and Deeds creating the Entail of Pennsylvania 
and Three Lower Counties upon Delaware in the Penn Family." Phila- 
delphia, 1870. 



144 The Family of William Penn. 

Some idea of the presents bestowed by the bridegroom 
at his marriage may be suggested by the bill of James Cox, 
a London silversmith, which accompanied a letter, Septem- 
ber 2, 1751.^ The list of articles furnished by Mr. Cox 
includes a brilliant hoop ring, a gold watch chain, a " gold 
seal for Mr. Hockley," " an onyx [word illegible] in gold, 
complete," a " double coat engraved," etc., all to the cost of 
£56 165. 6d., while, as the letter explains, there was some 
other article of greater value preparing by artists of the 
highest skill. 

A complimentary letter on his marriage, addressed him 
by Cossart de St. Aubin, agent in London for the Mora- 
vians (from 1746 to 1755), is preserved. It is addressed to 
Thomas Penn, at Hitcham, near Maidenhead, and proceeds : 

" Permit me Sir to congratulate you on your happy marriage. I can 
assure you it has given me great joy and also to our good Mr. Spangen- 
berg [Moravian bishop], who joynes Avith me in warmest wish for your 
happiness. . . . May you live long and happy, to the Comfort of all 
that are dear to you. I flatter myself our people [the Moravians] are 
included in the number, and that they desire nothing more but to enjoy 
your protection, and that of your Descendants to the remotest ages. 

" (P. S.) Mr. Spangenberg and Company set out for America the end 
of the week. He should have been exceeding glad to wait on you. He 
goes with Capt. Bryant, who falls down the river today or Monday, 
bound for N. York." 

What changes in his religious connections took place in 
consequence of Thomas Penn's marriage, and the social 
position which he now assumed, are not very clearly defined. 
He had hardly considered himself one of the Friends for a 
long time, and yet he had not very definitely abandoned 
association with them.^ In 1743, when Governor Thomas 

^ The letter apologizes for delay in waiting on T. P., as the writer had 
been suddenly called to attend " Mr. Whitefield," on account of his 
"sudden and unexpected departure," and could not fail to respond 
without disobliging him. 

'^ His brother John, as already stated, was buried in the old ground of 
the Friends, at Jordans, with his father and mother. In 1736 Margaret 
(Freame), writing from Philadelphia to John, says, " Your appearance 
among Friends was, I hear taken very kindly, and your behaviour just 



o 



o 






W 



Q 

CO 




The Family of William Penn. 145 

was contending with the Pennsylvania Assembly, and war 
with France was impending, Thomas Penn wrote him, " I 
felt obliged to solicit the ministry against the Quakers, or 
at least I stated that I did not hold their opinions concern- 
ine defence. I no lonscer continue the little distinction of 
dress." ^ After his marriage he went regularly to church, 
but down to 1771 certainly,' and probably all his life, he 
never took the sacrament. A deposition made in 1758 
showed that he considered himself a member of the Estab- 
lished Church from about that time. His son John, born 
1760, was baptized at the church of St. Martin's in the 
Fields. In a letter to Governor James Hamilton, 1760, 
alluding to the visit to England of William Logan (son of 
James Logan), Thomas said," You may be assured I shall treat 
him with regard, and shew him I have no disregard to those 
of his profession [the Friends], except on their levelling re- 
publican System of Government so much adopted by them." ^ 
Before his marriage Thomas Penn had settled in a town 
house. Letters in 1747, and perhaps earlier, were addressed 
to him " at his house in the New Street, Spring Gardens, 
near Charing Cross." This continued to be his city resi- 
dence until his death. Li 1750 letters were addressed to 
him " at Hitcham, near Maidenhead Bridge, Bucks." Nine 
years after his marriage (1760) he acquired the handsome 
and valuable estate of Stoke Poges, in Bucks, where for 
over eighty years the family home remained, and where 
the name of Penn, through himself, his sons, and grand- 
children, acquired new and honorable distinction. October 

like yourself." John not only appeared among the Friends, however, 
about that time, but elsewhere as well, for in the same letter Margaret 
says, " I am glad to find you had so kind a reception at Court, and if 
you were to go often now the ice is broken I believe it would be of 
sarvis." 

^ "Letter-Book of Thomas Penn," Vol. II., in Historical Society of 
Pennsylvania collections. 

^ See statement made for him, May, 1771, post. 

^ He might have done well, when in this frame of mind concerning 
systems of government, to read some of his father's writings on the sub- 
ject, of the period 1680 to 1690. 

11 



146 The Family of William Penn. 

18, 1760, in a letter to Governor Hamilton, at Philadelphia, 
he wrote, — 

" You will be pleased to hear the others [children] with their mother, 
[are] well at Stoke, to which we are removed, I having bought it: it is 
a very large old house, that we passed when I went with you to see the 
Duke of Marlborough's, and was then my Lady Cobham's." 

Stoke Poges is most famous as having the church-yard 
which Gray's immortal " Elegy" describes ; in this yard the 
poet's remains are buried. The residence. Stoke, belonged 
to Sir Edward Coke in Queen Elizabeth's time, and here 
he entertained that difficult female but vigorous monarch, 
his roj'al mistress, in 1601. Later it became the property 
of Anne, Viscountess Cobham, and at her death it was sold 
to Thomas Penn. The old manor-house furnished the 
place and, in part, the subject for Gray's humorous poem, 
" The Long Story," whose descriptions may interest us in 
this connection if not in any other.^ 

At Stoke Thomas Penn, with his family, continued to 
live, except when in the city, and there he is buried. The 
alterations and new erections made by his son John have 
materially changed the appearance of the place since 1775 ; 
but then, as now, it was a costly and elegant residence. 

The children of Thomas Penn and Ladv Juliana seem to 

* " The estate having been seized by the Crown for a debt, James I. 
granted the manor in fee to the celebrated lawyer, Sir Edward Coke, 
who in 1601 (being then Attorney-General) entertained Queen Elizabeth 
here very sumptuously. Upon the death of Sir E. Coke, at Stoke Poges, 
in 1634, the manor came to his son-in-law, Baron Villiers of Stoke 
Poges and Viscount Purbeck. Stoke House was in 1647, for a short 
time, the residence of King Charles I., when he was a prisoner in the 
power of the army. Lord Purbeck died in 1656, and about 1720 the 
manor was sold by his heirs to the family of Gayer. In 1724 it was 
purchased by Edward Halsey, Esq., whose daughter and heir married 
Sir R. Temple, afterwards Lord Cobham. This lady (then a widow) 
died here in 1760, when this estate was conveyed to the son of William 
Penn, Esq., founder of Pennsylvania. In 1848 the manor was pur- 
chased from the Penn family by the Right Hon. Henry Labouchere, 
who was created Baron Taunton in 1859." — Sheahan's History of Bucks, 
London, 1862. 




DOORWAY IN OLD M AXOK-IIOI'SE. SIOKK I'OGES 



The Family of William Penn. 147 

have been eight in number, of whom four died in infancy 
or youth, while four grew up, and three of these married. 
The first child was named AYilliam. He was born June 21, 
1752, and died February 14, 1753. He was buried at Penn, 
in Bucks. A daughter, Juliana, was born May 19, 1753, 
and lived to grow up and marry. A second son, Thomas, 
was born July 17, 1754, but died September 5, 1757, and 
was buried at Penn. Twin children, William and Louisa 
Hannah, were born July 22, 1756, and both died young, 
the former April 24, 1760, and the latter June 10, 1766. 
Both are buried at Penn. 

In the parish church at Penn, under the northeast corner 
of the nave,. there is a large vault, made in the last century, 
in which there are six small coffins. Four of these contain 
the remains of the children who are named above as dyino- 
young,— William, Thomas, William, and Louisa Hannah,— 
one contains those of a son of Richard Penn, and the other, 
simply marked " P," is not identified. 

The grief of the parents at the loss of all but one of their 
first five children is expressed in letters from Thomas Penn. 
The death of William, the third son, who lived to be nearly 
four years old, especially afiected him. Li a letter to 
Richard Peters, at Philadelphia, March 8, 1760, he had men- 
tioned the birth of "a fine boy" (John) "this day fort- 
night," and quickly following, in other letters, appear the 
following paragraphs : 

To Governor Hamilton, April 10, 1760 :" I am in a very anxious 
state. My son William was attacked with a slow fever about two 
months ago ; at first it was thought intermitting, but has since been 
almost always upon him, and affected his Breathing, so that his situa- 
tion is very doubtful." 

To Richard Peters, April 11 : " [He] has slow fever, and some appear- 
ance of knots and obstructions in his flesh, which are said to be the cause 
of it. . . . His mother having taken him to Marybon, for the benefit of 
the Air, and not to be without the reach of advice, makes my journeys 
to and from that place several times in the day absolutely necessary." 

Another letter to Governor Hamilton, May 10, announces 
the death of the little boy on the 24th of April, and adds. 



148 The Family of William Penn. 

" [it is] an irreparable loss to me, as I had, from the opinion 
of my friends, as well as from what I myself observed in 
the Child, great reason to believe that both his Capacity and 
Disposition were such as would have rendered him a valu- 
able and useful man." "Writing to Peters the same day, he 
said the boy was a good scholar and had a " disposition 
sweet, though very lively." " My hopes now," he added, 
" are on a child not three months old, wdio very provi- 
dentially came before this dreadful time, or his Mother 
might have suffered greatly under it." And writing also 
to Richard Hockley the same day, he said the death " leaves 
my only hope [as to a son] in one less than three months 
old, a very slight dependence, and yet many such have 
succeeded." 

This child (John) lived to grow up and to attain ripe 
years. Two other children — Granville, born in December, 
1761, and Sophia, born in December, 1764 — also grew up 
and died at an advanced age. 

Thomas Penn was in declining health for some years pre- 
ceding his death. In December, 1769, his brother Richard 
writes to him at " "Westgate Buildings, Bath," saying he 
hears he is in better health than he had been. In May 
Thomas was again at Bath, returning to Stoke Park June 
9. On July 4 Richard, writing to him, refers to " the Doc- 
tor's ordei's for you to proceed immediately to Tunbridge 
"Wells." To that place Thomas went, and a little later 
(August) tried the coast air at Margate. 

A statement filed among the Penn papers, under date of 
May 17, 1771, a memorandum, apparently, submitted for 
a legal opinion, presents a number of interesting bio- 
graphical data at this point. Thomas Penn, it seems, had 
been nominated by the Lord Mayor of London " to be a 
Sheriff of the City of London and County of Middlesex." 
The statement thereupon says, — 

" Mr. Penn was 40 years ago admitted a freeman of the City of Lon- 
don, and has twice voted for a Member [of Parliament], once for Sir 
John Barnard, and lately for Mr. Trecothick. Mr. Penn has no property 
whatever within the City of London, and never lived within the city, is 



The Family of William Penn. 149 

near, if not quite 70 years old, has had a stroke of the Palsy, and cannot 
walk without help. Mr. Penn was originally bred a Quaker. Since his 
marriage, which is many years ago, he has gone to church regularly, but 
he has never received the Sacrament. However, having gone regularly 
to church, I don't think he can be looked upon as a Protestant Dissenter. 
Mr. Penn desires to be advised what he can do to prevent serving this 
disagreeable office, or being fined for not serving the same." 

The opinion of "Ja: Eyre, Lincoln's Inn Fields," — evi- 
dently the counsel consulted, — is placed upon the same 
sheet as the foregoing. His opinion is that nothing can be 
done at present. Mr. Penn will have to await the election, 
— he may not be elected ; then, if seventy years old or over, 
he might resist a suit for the fine on the ground that he is 
not physically a " fit and able person," as required by the 
law.^ 

By the opening of 1775 Thomas Penn's strength was 
evidently far spent. His wife was now conducting the 
Pennsylvania correspondence. She writes from Stoke to 
Governor John Penn, January 7 of that year, " Mr. Penn 
is going to London for the winter." Then follow, in suc- 
cessive letters, same to the same, the following passages : 

Stoke, January 10 : " Mr. Penn has no particular complaint, but I 
think the winter does not agree with him, and that he is weaker, 
though he goes out every day." 

London, February 21 : "I am sure that he rather loses than gains 
strength. As I know your aflfection for him, I cannot write without 
giving you some account of his health." 

London, March 1 : " I think Mr. Penn is visibly worse the last two 
months, tho' he still looks well at times, and goes out in the Coach as 
usual." 

Finally there comes this announcement, — 

"I know the news I have to communicate will affect you. But the 
consideration that poor Dr Mr. Penn had long since been no Comfort to 

^ " Pricking" influential persons for high sheriff appears to have been a 
device of politics in that day. The Duke of Newcastle, in his vast elec- 
tioneering schemes, practised it, obtaining the favor of the person who 
desired to escape the office by securing for him the King's "gracious 
permission" to be excused. Cf. " English Historical Review," Vol. XII. 
p. 455. 



150 The Family of William Penn. 

himself will I hope make the hearing it is at an end less painful to you. 
It pleased God to release him yesterday, March 21, in the evening. . . . 

" Spring Gardens, March 22." 

He was taken to the country for burial. In the church 
at Stoke Poges is a tablet with the following inscription: 

In a Vault 

In this Church are 

deposited the Remains of 

Thomas Penn, 

of Stoke Park in this Parish 

(Son of William Penn 
Founder of Pennsylvania), . 
Born 1701. Married 1751. Died 1775. 
And of his wife the R' Hon. Lady Juliana Penn, 
Born 1729. Married 1751. Died 1801. 
Also the remains of their Sons 
John Penn of Stoke Park. Born 1760. Died 1834. 
And Granville Penn of Stoke Park. 
Born 1761. Married 1791. Died 1844. 
Also Isabella, wife of the above Granville Penn, 
eldest daughter of Gen' Gordon Forbes, Col. 29"" Regiment. 
Born 1771. Married 1791. Died 1847. 
And of their Sons 
Granville John, late of Stoke Park. Born 1802. Died 1867. 
Thomas Gordon, in Holy Orders. Born 1803, Died 1869. 
William, Born 1811. Died 1848. 
Also their Daughters 
Sophia, 1" wife of F. M. Sir W" Gomm G.C.B. Col. Coldstream Guards. 

The character of Thomas Penn has perhaps been suf- 
ficiently suggested. It is not easy to conclude that, on the 
whole, he was other than a just man, according to his light. 
He was undoubtedly kind and considerate to many different 
members of his family who desired his assistance or 
favor. He was guardian for William Penn, 3d's, son, 
Springett, the last male Penn in the elder line ; he inter- 
ested himself energetically to save some of her estate to the 
widow of his spendthrift cousin, Walter Clement; he edu- 
cated and assisted his nephew John, the Governor; and 
from the day when we found him a lad in London, doing 
errands for his mother at Ruscombe, he certainly was hon- 



The Family of William Penn. 151 

estly serviceable to many persons. Much severity has been 
bestowed upon him ; these approaches to praise are no more 
than his due. 

Thomas Penn's portrait, in the possession of the Earl of 
Ranfurly, painted at the time of his marriage (a copy of 
which was added, March, 1896, to the collections of the 
Pennsylvania Historical Society), is " a small full-length of 
a perfectly dressed and somewhat precise gentleman, in the 
costume of the middle of the eighteenth century. He wears 
an embroidered grayish lilac silk coat and breeches, and a 
long white satin waistcoat. He stands at the open door of 
a wainscoted room, with uncarpeted wooden floor. Through 
the doorway an antechamber can be seen, with a window 
opening upon a pleasant country view." ^ 

A painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 1764, shows the four 
children of Thomas and Lady Juliana Penn, then living: 
Juliana, a girl of eleven; Louisa Hannah, eight; John, 
four; and Granville, three. It is a fine example of Sir 
Joshua's work; a criticism which might be suggested is 
that the two girls appear too mature for their years. This 
painting is in possession of William Dugald Stuart, at 
Tempsford Hall, Beds. A " splendid mezzotint," made by 
Charles Turner in 1819, dedicated to John Penn (one of 
those in the picture), and probably executed by his order, 
is described by Mr. Conway as then (1884) in the possession 
of the Earl of Ranfurly. 

SUMMARY: CHILDREN OF THOMAS AND LADY JULIANA PENN. 

1. William, born June 21, 1752 ; died February 14, 1753 ; 
buried in the vault at the parish church at Penn, in Bucks. 

2. Juliana, born May 19, 1753. She married. May 23, 
1771, William Baker, Esq., of Bayfordbury, Herts, and 
died April 23, 1772, and was buried at Stoke Poges. She 
left one child, a daughter, Juliana (surname Baker), who 
married, January 18, 1803, John Fawset Herbert Rawlins, 

1 Article by W. M. Conway, Pexna. Mag., Vol. VIII. p. 357. See 
it also for details as to other portraits of Thomas Penn. 



152 The Family of William Penn. 

Esq., and died s. 2^-, September 11, 1849, at Gunters Grove, 
Stoke Courcy, Somerset. 

3. Thomas, born {Gentleman'' s Magazine) July 17, 1754; 
died (plate on coifin at Penn) September 5, 1757. The 
coffin-plate says his age was " 2 years and 1 month," and 
apparently there is an error here ; probably the figure 2 
should be 3. 

4. William, born July 22, 1756, and died April 24, 1760 ; 
buried at Penn. Details concerning him, in letters of his 
father, have been given. 

5. Louisa Hannah (twin with William), born July 22, 
1756; died June 10, 1766; buried at Penn. 

6. John, born February 23, 1760 ; baptized March 21, 
1760, at the church of St. Martin's in the Fields ; died un- 
married June 21, 1834. Details will be given of him later. 

7. Granville, born at the city residence, New Street, 
Spring Gardens, December 9, 1761 ; married, June 24, 1791, 
Isabella Forbes; died September 28, 1844, leaving issue. 
See later. 

8. Sophia Margaretta, born December 25 (? 21), 1764 ; 
married Archbishop William Stuart ; died April 29, 1847; 
buried at Luton, Beds, leaving issue. See later. 





%/tJt 



The Familij of William Femi. J 53 



X. THE DESCENDANTS OF THOMAS PENN. 

At the death of Thomas Penn, three of his children were 
living, — John, Granville, and Sophia Margaretta. John, 
the " heir," the baby whose coming just before the affecting 
death of his brother William seemed providential, and 
served in some measure to distract the mother's grief, was 
a lad of fifteen; Granville was thirteen, and Sophia ten. 

Thomas Penn left an extended and carefully drawn will. 
It was dated November 18, 1771, and had three codicils, the 
last being of June 23, 1774. It was admitted to probate 
April 8, 1775. Though the descent of the Proprietary estate 
had been strictly provided for in the family agreements and 
settlements, he had a large private estate, real and personal, 
to dispose of. He appointed his wife, Lady Juliana, and 
his son-in-law, William Baker, executors for the personal 
estate, except that in Pennsylvania. He committed to them 
also the disposal of real property at Bristol and Gloucester. 
His nephew, Richard Penn, and Richard Hockley, were 
appointed executors in America. At Philadelphia, ex- 
Governor James Hamilton, Rev. Richard Peters, and Richard 
Hockley were appointed trustees to sell certain private lots 
and tracts, and remit the proceeds to the executors in Eng- 
land. Stoke Park was devised to the English executors as 
an entailed trust for five hundred years, the life use of it 
to his son, John Penn, "without impeachment of waste." 
The furniture at Stoke went to John. Lady Juliana re- 
ceived the city house, with money, plate, etc. Provision 
was made for the education of the children. John was to 
have an allowance of three hundred pounds a year till he 
was fifteen, and then five hundred pounds a year until 
twenty-one. 

The son-in-law, William Baker, as previously stated, had 
married Juliana Penn in 1771, and she had died the follow- 



154 The Family of William Penn. 

ing 3^ear. The widow, Lady Juliana, now found him a 
valuable aid in the administration of her husband's exten- 
sive affairs. She writes, April 25, 1775, to Eev. Mr. Petei's, 
" It has pleased God to raise us up in England a most active 
and capable friend in Mr. Baker, who is Guardian, with me^ 
to the children, and without whom I should not have known 
what to have done." Many letters at this period, on the 
family account, are by Mr. Baker.^ 

A letter to Edmund Physick, agent at Philadelphia, by 
the two executors, April 5, 1775, says that by his quarterly 
statement on 29th September, 1774, he had a balance of 
fourteen thousand pounds, and they have since received, in 
four remittances, thirteen thousand nine hundred pounds. 
They hope he will state his later accounts, and remit. " The 
total stop which will be put to the trade of the five Middle 
Colonies by the Bill now depending in Parliament, if the 
Association entered into by the Congress is adhered to, will 
make the Communication between America and Great 
Britain, and the opportunity for remitting, more difiicult." 

Writing to James Tilghman, the same date (5th), the 
executors said, — 

"There are three great points which require much attention: the 
settlement of the dispute with Connecticut, the adjustment of the 
western boundary with Virginia, and the composition of arrears proposed 
with the settlers in the three lower counties." 

In a letter to Governor John Penn, at Philadelphia, May 
29, 1775, Lady Juliana says, — 

" I am returned to Stoke with my two little girls.^ Miss Baker has 
been innoculated this spring, but is now well, tho' she was ill enough 
with it to make me very uneasy for some time, and I have the happiness 
of finding my boys in perfect health; they dined at home to-day, and 
desired me to add their compliments," etc. 

The two boys were no doubt receiving their education 
preparatory to college. John was entered later at Clare 

^ Mr. Baker was sometime member of Parliament for Hertfordshire. 

^ These were her daughter Sophia and her granddaughter the little 
Juliana, who survived Mrs. Baker's death in 1772. The " boys" were, of 
course, John and Granville. 



The Family of William Penn. 155 

Hall, Cambridge. The entry records him as a " nobleman," 
— by virtue of his mother's rank. He received his M.A. 
degree in 1779. When he came of age, in February, 1781, 
he vp^as at Brussels, and had been there for some time. 
" About March" of that year, he says,^ " I left my family to 
return to England. I lived between Stoke and London the 
remainder of the year, and after somewhat preparing myself 
for understanding the beauties and sights of Italy, and pro- 
curing letters ... set oft* in the winter for Calais. By the 
favor of Mr. Schutz, I obtained a permit from the Comte de 
Vergennes, signed by the F. King, to land at Calais — which 
the war made necessary." He went to Lisle, thence to 
Brussels, had, he says, few acquaintances, read Eoman 
classics, took lessons on the harpsichord (" afterward laid 
aside"), and attended the Court of the Viceroy of the 
Austrian Netherlands, the Prince de Saxe Teschen. Then 
he proceeded to Spa. " I am in lodgings at a painter's 
house," he says. He hired " a little horse," at half a guinea 
per week, rode through the forest, and produced an ode — 
his muse inclined to odes — of fifteen stanzas of six lines 
each. He praised the 

" Elysian views that now once more. 
Ere six revolving years are o'er, 
Entice my voluntary feet," 

Proceeding to Diisseldorf, to Coblentz, and other Rhine 
cities, he went to Munich and Augsburg, and reached Paris 
January 31, 1783. " One of my first things was waiting on 
the American Commissioners at Paris. . . . When I arrived 
the treaty of peace had been signed three days." 

Lady Juliana Penn died November 20, 1801. A notice 
in the Gentlemayi's Magazine for November of that year 
says, " At her house at Ham, Surrey, in her 73d year, [on 
the 20th] closed a pattern of Christian excellence by a 
serene and peaceful death. Lady Juliana Penn . . . relict 
of the late Hon. Thomas Penn," etc. 



'5 



^ MS. " Commonplace Book," in collections of the Historical Society 
of Pennsylvania. 



156 The Family of William Penn. 

The limitations of our present study forbid our giving as 
much space to John Penn as he deserves. On the whole, 
he is a curious and interesting personality. He inherited, 
apparently, traits of his father, the prudent business-man, 
-and others of his grandfather, the idealist and reformer. 
He was sixteen when the American Revolution caused the 
collapse of the family's great colonial proprietorship, but the 
event does not seem to have soured or seriously shocked 
him. Like his uncle John, he remained a bachelor to the 
end of his life. He evidently enjoyed his large possessions, 
but probably his greatest pleasure was in the expenditure 
of his money, — much of it on objects which many men 
would not have cared for. He was an amateur in the arts, 
something of a poet, something of an architect, a gentle- 
paced reformer, a chevalier who rode without raising much 
dust, and an official who did not disdain routine affairs. 

The return of peace permitted him to visit Pennsylvania. 
In June (1783) he sailed from Falmouth for New York. 
The voyage was long, and closed with a mild experience of 
shipwreck. "After seven weeks," his manuscript record 
says, " we were awaked at one o'clock in the morning by 
the noise and motions of the vessel stranded off Egg Har- 
bour, on the Jersey coast. After firing minute guns, and 
being avoided by one ship in sight, we were taken up by 
the Three Friends, Capt. Anderson, a small sloop from Phila- 
delphia, bound to New York, which carried us there. We 
got on board [? shore] at 6 o'clock in the morning." 

John Penn now took up his residence in Philadelphia, 
and remained here for five years. The Assembly of Penn- 
sylvania, the single-bodied Legislature established under the 
Constitution of 1776, had four years before his arrival, in 
the throes of the Revolution, seized the Proprietary estates. 
The act is dated November 27, 1779. It is entitled " An 
Act for vesting the estates of the late Proprietaries of 
Pennsylvania in this Commonwealth," and this title presents 
the substance of what follows. A clause of the preamble 
declares that " the claims heretofore made by the late Pro- 
prietaries to the whole of the soil [etc.] cannot longer 



The Family of William Penn. 157 

consist with the safety, libert}^, and happiness of the good 
people of this Common^Yealth," and section 5 enacts " that 
all and every the estate, right, title, [etc.] of the heirs and 
devisees, grantees, or others claiming as Proprietaries of 
Pennsylvania, whereof they or either of them stood seised, 
or to which they or any of them were entitled," on the 4th 
of July, 1776, " except as hereinafter excepted, . . . shall be, 
and they are hereby vested in the Commonwealth of Penn- 
sylvania, for the use and benefit of the citizens thereof." 

The property excepted was the private lands and the Pro- 
prietary tenths, or manors. Quit-rents due the Proprietaries 
on the public lands were to cease and determine. One 
hundred and thirty thousand pounds, " sterling money," 
was appropriated " to the devisees and legatees of Thomas 
Penn and Richard Penn," and "to the widow and relict of 
the said Thomas Penn," in such proportions as the Legisla- 
ture should thereafter direct. No part of the money was 
to be paid until at least one 3'ear after the making of peace 
between England and the United States, and then not more 
than twenty thousand pounds, nor less than fifteen thousand, 
in any one year. 

The estate thus appropriated by the State John Penn 
valued, according to an elaborate statement in his " Com- 
monplace Book," at £1,536,545 45. Sd. This money loss 
was composed of three items : (1) the arrears of current 
quit-rent payments ; (2) the quit-rent right, capitalized (at 
twelve years' purchase) ; (3) the value of the unsold lands. 
As to the last, he computed that 21,592,128 acres of land 
were taken. There had been 552,784 acres assigned in 
manors and family grants, and 4,132,976 acres had been 
sold on quit-rent. The unsold area, " at the lowest valua- 
tion," he estimated as worth £1,295,527 12.5. ^d. "The 
loss then suffered is that of the [right of] government ; 
three-fifths of royal, one-fifth of other mines ; and of lands 
and money to the value of" the sum above stated.^ 

^ The amount of money received by the State of Pennsylvania from 
the sale of the Proprietary lands, after the divestment, up to 1789, is 
stated at £824,094 Os. 7c?. The amount of the claim made upon the 



158 The Family of William Penn. 

John Penn addressed himself to the care of the remain- 
ing property. He and the other heirs petitioned the Assem- 
bly, without result, in relation to the sequestration. He 
felt some inclination to make his home here. His cousin 
John, who had been Governor when the catastrophe of 1776 
occurred, had remained, and on the whole was well liked 
and cordially treated. John (our present subject) says, " I 
felt indeed the accustomed amoi^ iMtrice and admiration 
of England, but sometimes a republican enthusiasm which 
attached me to America, and almost wholly tempted me to 
stay.^ I may date my becoming wholly an Englishman 
from the breaking up of that Assembl}' [1784] and publica- 
tion of its minutes relative to the treatment of our memo- 
rial." He bought fifteen acres on the west bank of the 
Schuylkill, for six hundred pounds sterling, in 1784, — "a 
dear purchase," he calls it, — and began the erection upon 
it of the small mansion which still stands there in the Zoo- 
logical Garden, now a part of Fairmount Park,^ This he 
named "The Solitude," — from the Duke of Wiirtemberg's, 
he explains. His city house appears to have been " at the 
corner of Market and 6th streets ;" at any rate, it was there, 
Monday, May 26, 1788, " at 9 a.m.," that his plate, furniture, 
etc., were sold at auction, preparatory to his return to Eng- 
land.^ 

British government by the heirs was £944,817 8s. 6cZ. Cf. Janney's 
" Penn," p. 535, foot-note. 

^ He records in his " Commonplace Book" the names of the members of 
" the Convention for improving the American Government," 1787. He 
called promptly on Dr. Franklin when the latter returned from France. 
The diary of General Washington, during his attendance upon the 
Federal Convention, contains this entry: "Thursday 19 [July, 1787] 
Dined at Mr, John Penn's (the younger) drank tea, and spent the even- 
ing there." The diary of John Penn, in April, 1788, of a trip on horse- 
back from Philadelphia to Reading, Harrisburg, Carlisle, and Lancaster, 
appears in the " Commonplace Book," and is printed in the Penna, 
Mag,, Vol, III. 

^ It continued to be a part of the Penn estate until it was taken by 
the city for the Park. 

^ The gross proceeds were £564 Ad. Taxes and commissions off, it 
realized £539 lis, lOi,— Penna, Mag,, Vol, XV, p, 373, 



o 




The Family of William Penn. 159 

Returning to England, probably in 1788, he entered upon 
a busy and indeed active career. A pension — four thousand 
pounds a year — was voted by the Parliament to the Penns 
in compensation for their American losses,^ and the instal- 
ments of the allowance by the State of Pennsylvania began 
to be paid in 1785. John Penn, therefore, felt himself a 
fairly rich man, and he began in 1789 the erection of a 
large and handsome residence at Stoke. The early plans 
for it were by Nasmith, but they were completed by Wyatt.^ 
The old manor-house with its historic memories, which 
had been the family residence for thirty years, was partly 
taken down.^ In 1798 John Penn was sheriff of Bucking- 

^ The Penn annuity was voted by the House of Commons May 14, 
1790. The petition of Lady Juliana Penn for compensation had been 
presented in that House February 8, 1788, by the Right Hon. Frederick 
Montagu, who spoke of the services of Admiral Penn in adding to the 
domain of England by the capture of Jamaica. Mr. Pitt consented, 
"on the part of the King," that the petition be received. — Oentleman^s 
Magazine. 

^ Britton and Brayley's " History of Buckinghamshire" (London, 
1801) describes Stoke as it appeared at the beginning of the present 
century, and calls it "one of the most charming and magnificent 
residences in this part of the country." The account proceeds : 

"It is built chiefly with brick, and covered with stucco, and consists 
of a large, square centre, with two wings. The north or entrance front 
is ornamented with a colonnade, consisting of ten Doric columns, and 
approached by a flight of steps, leading to the Marble Hall. The south 
front, 196 feet in length, is also adorned with a colonnade, consisting of 
twelve fluted columns of the old Doric order. Above this ascends a 
projecting portico, of four Ionic columns, sustaining an ornamental 
pediment. The Marble Hall is oval, and contains four fine marble 
busts, supported on scagliola pedestals. . . . 

" The park, though rather flat, commands some very fine views, par- 
ticularly to the south, where the eye is directed over a large sheet of 
water to the majestic Castle of Windsor, beyond which Cooper's Hill 
and the Forest Woods close the prospect. A large lake winds round the 
east side of the house, with a neat stone bridge thrown over it. The 
lake was originally formed by Richmond, but it has been considerably 
altered by Repton, who also directed the laying out of the Park." 

^ A portion of it, however, was preserved, and is still (1897) in use. 
It is of brick, ivy covered, and has decided architectural interest. 
Over the front door-way is the date of the original erection, 1555. The 



160 The Family of William Penn. 

hamshire. In 1802 he was member of Parliament for the 
borough of Helston, Cornwall. In 1805 he was appointed 
royal governor of the Isle of Portland, in Dorsetshire, on 
the Channel coast, and this place — practically a sinecure, 
it may be presumed — he retained for many years. He 
acquired here about 1815, from the Crown, " the ruins of 
Rufus Castle, and a few acres 'round it," paying one hun- 
dred and fifty pounds therefor, and began, upon plans by 
"Wyatt, the erection of another costly and handsome place, 
known since as Pennsylvania Castle.^ 

At Stoke, besides building the new house, John Penn 
erected in 1799 a cenotaph to the poet Gray. This is after 
a design by Wyatt, and stands in the grounds of Stoke 
Park, but near the church-yard, where the remains of Gray 
are interred with those of his mother.^ On three sides of 
it are selections from the Ode to Eton and the Elegj^, and 
on the fourth the inscription : 

interior, among other attractions, has a beautiful old fireplace. Rooms 
in the second story were fitted up by the Penns " as pleasure- rooms, or 
resting-places, and furnished with portraits, hangings, and other decora- 
tions in keeping with the age of the erection." In this old house Sir 
Edward Coke wrote his famous " Institutes." 

^ November 11, 1815, writing from Portland to William Rawle, Jr., of 
Philadelphia, John Penn said, "I see this place is called ' Pennsylvania 
Castle' in the new Weymouth guide, though only christened so in joke 
by the late Duch° of Bolton and Sir J. Hippesley. This therefore seems 
destined to be its name." 

John Jay Smith, in his address before the Historical Society of Penn- 
sylvania, November, 1867, described this place as he saw it in 1865. It 
was, he said, " though castellated, a modern residence, calculated for a 
large family, and abounding in every comfort. On a small, mounted 
brass cannon on the front lawn, with its muzzle pointed seaward, is 
inscribed that it was presented by an intimate friend, a nobleman, to 
John Penn, ' member of Parliament.' ... By careful shelter and artistic 
planting, John Penn succeeded in surrounding the castle with belts of 
beautiful trees." 

"^ John Penn paid much attention to the fame of Gray. Besides 
erecting the cenotaph, he formed a splendid collection of Gray's 
works. In the library of Stoke was the original manuscript of the 
Elegy and a copy of every edition then published of it and Gray's 
other poems. 



The Family of William Penn. 161 

THIS MONUMENT 

IN HONOUR OF THOMAS GRAY 

WAS ERECTED IN 1799, AMONG 

THE SCENES CELEBRATED BY THAT 

GREAT LYRIC AND ELEGIAC POET. 

HE DIED JULY 30TH 1771 AND 

LIES UNNOTICED IN THE CHURCHYARD 

ADJOINING, UNDER THE TOMBSTONE 

ON WHICH HE PIOUSLY AND PATHETICALLY 

RECORDED THE INTERMENT OF HIS 

AUNT AND LAMENTED MOTHER. 

John Penn also erected a memorial to Sir Edward Coke. 
It stands in the park, about three hundred yards from the 
north front of the house. It is a fluted column sixty-eight 
feet high, and is surmounted by a statue, heroic size, of the 
famous old jurist. The column was designed by Wyatt; 
the statue is by Rossi. 

Like many another builder of great houses, John Penn 
found them costly. His letters to his correspondents in 
Philadelphia contain at times serious complaints of poverty. 
Writing to Thomas Cadwalader,^ from London, August 13, 
1824, he says, — 

" I am really, by the failure of remittances, obliged to make a great 
and heroic effort at economy. I have had no party as usual, this year, 
and do [not] accept invitations, as I cannot give them, besides reducing 
my dinners, when alone, to one or two dishes. This is to enable me to 
pay off a debt of between four and 5000 pounds, incurred in a great 
measure in consequence of my dependence on remittances, by putting in 
complete repair, which was found necessary, the north or entrance 
colonnade of Stoke." 

Again, to the same, from the same place, January 26, 
1825,— 

" I have been at length so far irritated by this tendency of my expenses 
to exceed my income as to have resolved to put on to the world an appear- 

^ General Thomas Cadwalader received the power-of-attorney of John 
Penn in 1815, and of Richard Penn (son of the first Richard) in 1817, 
then tenants in tail male, to make sale of their lands in Pennsylvania. 

12 



162 The Family of William Penn. 

ance of economy, rather singular ; as for full half a year I have confined 
my dinners to a single joint ; though it is little in character with the 
great houses I have built myself." 

In 1822, July 24, he writes that he has bought a farm 
adjoining Stoke for five thousand seven hundred and fifty 
pounds. Burke (" General Armory") says, under his notice 
of Granville Penn, that the family owned in Bucks the 
manors of Stoke Poges and Eton, "the latter purchased 
by the late John Penn, Esq." 

Of the city house, which had been his father's residence, 
he writes, January 1, 1816, to Thomas Cadwalader, — 

" This part of the town, which as a garden is represented in the ele- 
gant ' Memoires de Grammont,' a scene of the revelry of some of Charles 
the Second's courtiers, and in ' The Spectator' a promenade invited by 
Sir E. de Coverley's water party, was built over [i.e., built upon] sixty 
years ago, when my father fixed himself in this house ; the best in the 
street, and opening into St. James' Park." 

IN'ot only as a civil-life governor, but also as an avowed 
defender of England, John Penn appears. He was lieu- 
tenant-colonel of the First (Eton) Troop of the First (South) 
Regiment of the Royal Bucks Yeomanry. Two portraits 
of him hung in the picture-gallery at Pennsylvania Cas- 
tle, one in "full court-dress," and another "in full mili- 
tary array, sword in hand, at the head of the Portland 
troop of horse, which he had organized for the defence 
of the English coast against the expected invasion of Na- 
poleon,"^ 

Besides his labors of authorship, one other undertaking 
of John Penn's requires particular notice. This was his 
philanthropic enterprise, begun about 1817, and named in 
1818 the " Outinian Society." Its original object was to 
promote matrimony, and it was called at first the Matri- 

1 John Jay Smith's Address. — This portrait is by Sir William Beechey, 
P.R.A,, and was engraved by R. Dunkeston, and published 1809. A 
drawing by Tendi, from a bust of John Penn, by Deare, engraved by 
L. Schiavonetti, was published 1801.—" Dictionary of National Biog- 
raphy." 




JOHN PEXN OF STOKE 



The Family of William Penn. 163 

mouial Society; later its scope was broadened and the other 
name adopted.^ The announced object was to aid social 
reforms which were liable to be neglected, but the marriage 
concern was chiefly kept in mind,^ The Society held meet- 
ings monthly, in the season at Mr. Penn's town house, and 
at other times in the country, at Leamington, Cheltenham, 
Bristol, etc., where a lecturer, who was the secretary of the 
Society, delivered a lecture to the audience of genteel per- 
sons who assembled. The scheme may have been thought 
amusing, but at any rate considerable companies gathered 
to enjoy it, whose names are preserved to us in the official 
reports of the Society. These were printed in the best style 
of the art, and, as we may presume, at Mr. Penn's expense.^ 
For a time it must have been quite a fashionable function. 
To give it a start, — which was somewhat difficult appar- 
ently, — the Marchioness of Salisbury lent her patronage, 
and thus encouraged others of quality to attend. In the 
intervals of the lecture at Mr. Penn's town house the com- 
pany walked in the gardens, giving the affiiir something the 
character of a Greek philosophical academy. The frontis- 
piece to the principal volume of the Society's Reports is a 
picture : 

"The Portico, Spring Gardens, No. 10 New Street (the only Portico) 
belonging to J. Penn, Esq., with the Company assembled, as it appears 
during the delivery of the Outinian Lectures, every Saturday throughout 
the Season." 

The Society was recorded as " Founded in the hundredth 

^ The name is from a line in the Odyssey, which, freely rendered, 
means, " No one is my name. Nobody is what my father, my mother, and 
my friends call me." 

^ The obituary notice in the Gentleman^ s Magazine, 1834, says, " Some 
years ago Mr. Penn raised many a smile by his employing more than 
one lecturer gravely to persuade youth of both sexes to enter into the 
holy bonds of matrimony." 

^ The list of those who attended within the first two or three years 
appears to make about fifteen hundred names, many of them ^'passim," 
— attending more than once. There were marchionesses, countesses, 
viscountesses and baronesses, and other ladies, besides many gentlemen 
of rank and distinction. 



164 The Family of William Penn. 

year after the death of the benevolent William Penn, and 
in the year of the second peace of Aix-la-Chapelle. For 
securing the advantage of benevolence and justice, with the 
aid of monitory suggestions, in Critical and Ethical lectures, 
where no other provision can easily be made for that pur- 
pose : or particularly proposing to lessen those evils incident 
to the pursuit of Happiness by Marriage, or otherwise, from 
which the complaint has sprung that ' the business of Every- 
body is that of Nobody.' " 

A medal of the Society had, obverse, the bust of William 
Penn with the Charter of Pennsjdvania in his arms, and 
the legend : " Outinian Society Founded 1818. William 
Penn deceased 1718." Reverse, Ulysses assailed by Poly- 
phemus. 

The Report announced that a " mediatrix," a " confidential 
female," would serve the Society in the matrimonial move- 
ment, but to allay possible fears of the too extended scope 
of her enterprising labors it was stated that she was not to 
promote marriages " of young or inexperienced heirs or 
heiresses of fortune ;" in these cases the persuasive efl:brt 
would be to restrain their ardor until they had full oppor- 
tunity to secure " suitable matches." The copy of a blank 
appears in a report ; this was to be sent out by the Society, 
to be filled up with the description of eligible parties, under 
no less than fifty-one difierent headings. It was called 
" The True Friend, or a Table shewing the Exact Situation 
in Life and Personal Qualities of known Marriageable 
Ladies." 

The Society continued in some form of activity for several 
years ; by 1825 it appears to have been concerned with be- 
friending new inventions, — an improved breakfast-waiter, a 
lamp-label bearing street names, etc., — and to have relaxed 
its matrimonial zeal. 

Apparently, John Penn regarded himself as following in 
the footsteps of his grandfather the Founder; at what dis- 
tance he does not make plain. In one letter he says his 
Society is simply carrying on the " useful business of the 
form of humanity established by William Penn." Writing 



The Family of William Perm. 165 

to Francis Hopkinson, at Philadelphia, from Stoke, August 
14, 1820, he says,— 

" If I can be said to differ observably in opinion from a grandfather 
with whom I conceive that I essentially agree more than with any other 
man of either past or present times, it is in the circumstance that I 
would allow them [the fine arts, to which he had just previously alluded] 
within the bounds of morality a larger scope than may suit the pro- 
visions of a Lycurgus, This would be, however, for the same end of a 
true liberty, of which William Penn made so good a use." 

His literary labors are represented in a number of works, 
all of the amateur order. In 1796 he printed a tragedy, 
" The Battle of Edington, or British Liberty," derived from 
the history of King Alfred. This was privately produced 
at the Haymarket Theatre, the critics cut it up, and the 
author answered the critics. In 1798 he issued his " Crit- 
ical, Poetical, and Dramatic Works," in two volumes, 
octavo. In 1811 Cambridge University encouraged him 
with the degree of LL.D. 

Besides the portraits of John Penn already mentioned, 
there is one by Pine, painted in 1787, and presented by him, 
December 18 of that year, to his friend Edmund Physick, 
of Philadelphia. The portrait was supposed later to be that 
of his cousin John Penn the Governor, and a copy was 
placed, under this supposition, in the capitol at Harris- 



bur o* 



1 



At the death of John Penn, June 21, 1834, his brother 
Granville succeeded. He was born at the city house, ITew 
Street, Spring Gardens, December 9, 1761. He had matric- 
ulated at Magdalen College, Oxford, November 11, 1780, 
but did not take a degree. He entered the civil service, 
and became an assistant chief clerk in the War Department, 
for which, upon retiring, he received a pension of five hun- 
dred and fifty pounds a year. June 24, 1791, he married 
Isabella, eldest daughter of General Gordon Forbes, Colonel 
of the Twenty-ninth Regiment of Foot. General Forbes 
was " of the family of Forbes of Skillater, in Aberdeen- 

^ Cf. Penna. Mag., Vol. I. p. 115. 



166 The Family of William Penn. 

shire;" his wife Mary was the "eldest daughter of Benja- 
min Sullivan, Esq., of Cork, Ireland." 

At his marriage, Granville Penn " settled in London." ^ 
He occupied his leisure with literary labors, the results of 
which remain to us in numerous substantial volumes, two 
of which, the " Memorials" of his great-grandfather. Sir 
William Penn, are of value and form one of the chief 
sources of knowledge concerning the Admiral. The other 
works are largely theological ; some, however, being clas- 
sical commentary and criticism. Mr. Penn's first book, 
" Critical Remarks on Isaiah," appeared in 1799 ; the Life of 
Admiral Penn was published 1833. 

Granville Penn was a justice of the peace for Bucking- 
hamshire, presumably after his succession and residence at 
Stoke. He died at Stoke, September 28, 1844, and it has 
been observed that this was almost precisely two centuries 
after the birth of his grandfather, William Penn the 
Founder, — a remarkably long period to be covered by three 
succeeding generations.^ 

The children of Granville and Isabella Penn were nine 
in number, four sons and five daughters, as follows : 

1. John William, died in infancy ; buried at Stoke 
Poges, December 18, 1802. 

2. Granville John, born November, 1803 ; died at Stoke, 
unmarried, March 29, 1867. See below. 

3. Thomas Gordon, died unmarried, September 10, 1869. 
See below. 

4. William, died unmarried, at Brighton, January 7, 1848. 
He was M.A. of Christ Church, Oxford. 

5. Juliana Margaret, died in infancy; buried at Stoke 
Poges, March 21, 1804. 

6. Sophia, married (first wife of) Sir William Maynard 

^ In a house in Hertford Street, Mayfair, it would appear from an 
allusion in John Jay Smith's Address. In 1801, the notice of his 
mother's death states, he lived at Petersham. 

^ William Penn was fifty-eight years old when his son Thomas was 
born, and Thomas Penn was sixty-one when his son Granville was 
born. 



The Family of William Fenn. 167 

Gomm, field-marshal, KC.B., and died without issue, 1827. 
(Her husband was an officer of high distinction in the Eng- 
lish military service. His father was killed at the storming 
of La Pointe-a-Pitre, in Guadeloupe, 1794, and he — the son 
— was gazetted an ensign before he was ten years old. His 
most notable service was in the Peninsular war. After the 
death of his first wife, he married Elizabeth, daughter of 
Kobert Kerr, but died childless. Upon his return from 
service in India, he purchased the Penn mansion in Lon- 
don, in Spring Gardens, and made it his residence.) 

7. Louisa Emily, died unmarried. May 27, 1841. 

8. Isabella Mary, died unmarried, at Brompton, January 
28, 1856. 

9. Henrietta Anne, died unmarried, at Brompton, June 
13, 1855. 

Granville Penn's will is referred to at some length in the 
Gentleman's Magazine, 1845. It was proved January 16 of 
that year, and was dated February 9, 1836. It left to 
Granville John Penn, his eldest living son, substantially the 
whole of the disposable estate, including three thousand 
pounds a year of the Parliamentary annuity (charged, 
however, with some annuities and legacies), the premises in 
New Street, Spring Gardens, and the estate at West End, 
Stoke Poges, Bucks (the same, probably, purchased by John 
in 1822). The entailed property passed to Granville John 
Penn, as tenant in tail male, by the provisions of previous 
wills and settlements.^ 

Of the nine children of Granville Penn, it will be seen 
above that only one married, and she left no issue. In the 
line of Thomas Penn, therefore, this branch of the family 
ends here, and our account of it will be completed when we 
speak of Granville John and his brother Thomas Gordon. 
Referring first to the latter, it may be said, briefly, that he 
was M.A. of Christ Church College, Oxford, took orders in 
the English Church, and at his death, September 10, 1869, 

^ The " Dictionary of National Biography," in its article on Granville 
Penn, states that Pennsylvania Castle, with all its historical contents, 
was subsequently, in 1887, purchased by J. Merrick Head, Esq. 



168 The Family of William Penn. 

was the last male descendant of William Penn, Founder of 
Pennsylvania, bearing the name of Penn. With him the 
male entail of the Proprietary estate ended, and it passed 
to the heirs of his aunt Sophia, the wife of Archbishop 
Stuart. He was a man " of most extensive reading and 
research," but he was declared by a commission of lunacy 
incapable of managing his estates, which were consequently 
in Chancery until his death. 

Granville John Penn maintained the ancient usage of the 
family by twice visiting Pennsylvania. His first visit was 
in 1851, his second in 1857. He presented to the Historical 
Society of Pennsylvania the large Indian wampum belt 
which is preserved among its collections, and which has 
come to be affectionately regarded by many as a present 
made by the Indian chiefs to the Founder at the " Great 
Treaty" of 1683. He was cordially received in Philadelphia 
on both visits, and in 1857 was entertained at supper in the 
Letitia House, since removed to and now standing in Fair- 
mount Park.^ 

This, however, was only one among many attentions paid 
him. " He was the recipient of a public dinner ; the Mayor 
and Councils of Philadelphia gave him a public reception, 
and his speeches on both occasions were remarkable for 
classical taste and dignified delivery. These attentions he 
returned by a very elegant collation under tents at ' Solitude.' 
He afterwards visited many parts of this State, and extended 
his tour to Washington, Ohio, etc., expressing himself every- 
where delighted with our scenery and people, and highly 
gratified to witness so much that was beautiful, and such 

^ See Horatio Gates Jones's account of the supper at the Letitia 
House, in Penna. Mag., Vol. IV. p. 412. "The chief dishes were 
baked and boiled shad. [It was the 29th of April.] Mr. Penn appeared 
to enjoy the whole affair very much. . . . Among the many jokes . . . 
I remember one which seemed to amuse Mr. Penn not a little. Some 
one said that the shad was a remarkable fish, because it always returned 
to the same river where it was hatched. ' Is that the case?' asked Mr. 
Penn. '0, yes,' was the reply, 'and there is no doubt, Mr. Penn, that 
you are to-night eating part of a lineal descendant of one of the shad of 
which your great ancestor partook when he lived at Pennsbury Manor!' " 



The Family of William Penn. 169 

great prosperity. His name was a passport to many kind- 
nesses and civilities." ^ 

Granville John Penn studied at Christ Church College, 
Oxford, and received there his degree of M.A. Dr. Lang- 
ley, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, was tutor to him 
and his brother. He was educated for, and became, a 
barrister-at-law. His early education, as well as that of his 
brother, was conducted by their father; they had never 
gone to school previous to their entering college.^ His early 
years were passed at his father's house, or " with Lord and 
Lady Cremorne, or at Stoke Park, whither the family, at 
the period of the Weymouth season, regularly migrated, 
during their uncle John's residence at the Portland Castle." ^ 

Granville John Penn was a deputy lieutenant and magis- 
trate for Bucks. Succeeding to his father at Stoke, in 1844, 
the family home was kept there until the sale of the property 
a few years later.* A picturesque and interesting descrip- 
tion of the place as it appeared in 1845, before the break- 
ing up, is given in John Jay Smith's Address, from which 
we are now freely citing. He says, — 

"The family at Stoke Park then [1845] consisted of the widow of 
Granville Penn — her husband being then very recently deceased — a very 
old lady, Granville John, three unmarried sisters, and the youngest 
brother, William, who was educated for the Bar. The mother, the three 
daughters, and the three sons are now [1867] all deceased, but a more 

^ John Jay Smith's Address. 

^ Ibid. — From the same : " While at college he acted as one of the 
pages at the coronation of George the Fourth — a position much sought 
for by young men of family. He was fond of relating that on this 
great occasion, the young pages, unaccustomed to waiting on others, 
forgot to bring in the hot dishes ; the royal company was consequently 
obliged to be contented with the cold collation set out for show during 
the ceremony; after which the newly-fledged servitors had the satis- 
faction of consuming the turtle soups, the game, and other delicacies 
intended for royalty !" 

^ John Jay Smith. 

* It has already been quoted from Sheahan's " History of Bucks" that 
the manor was purchased by Mr, Labouchere (later Baron Taunton) in 
1848. Sheahan also says that Stoke Court, the residence (1862) of 
Abraham Darby, Esq., was purchased of the Penns in 1850. 



170 The Family of William Penn. 

happy and united family than they formed twenty-five years ago it would 
be difficult to describe. Their surroundings were all of the very first 
class, as regards a truly noble residence, an extensive and perfectly kept 
park, abounding in deer and other game, a library of great size and value, 
liveried servants, fine horses and coaches, with everything that could 
make life desirable. The picturesque park that has seen so many suc- 
cessive generations come and go, as we rambled among its beautiful and 
ancient trees, was as silent as any scene amid our own native forests. 
The servants had mowed the extensive lawns, the hot-house gardeners 
had set out the Italian portico with newly flowered plants, covering the 
pots with lycopodiums and mosses, and the attendants had all disap- 
peared before breakfast was announced: every sound was stilled and the 
place was all one's own. The deer silently wandered among the ferns 
half as tall as themselves; the librarian, himself a learned man and an 
author of merit, was at his post to hand the guests any book they 
required. 

" One felt assured, on passing into the great entrance-hall, beneath a 
funeral hatchment in memory of the late proprietor, that he was not 
entering a house of consistent Quakers, for one of the first objects was a 
pair of small brass cannon, taken by Admiral Penn in his Dutch wars, 
elegantly mounted and polished ; and near by, opening on the left, was 
a fine billiard-room. Family prayers were not neglected : the numerous 
servants were regularly assembled, as is a usual custom in England : 
the service of the day is reverently read, and all, from the head of the 
house to the humblest individual, on their knees give thanks for mercies 
received. The house was not wanting in memorials of Pennsylvania, a 
large portion of the Treaty Tree, sent by some members of the Historical 
Society, with a silver label on it, ornamenting the grand drawing-room 
of the second story, which was reached by a superb, long, and rather 
fatiguing marble staircase. The birds of Pennsylvania, too, were repre- 
sented in elegant glass cases, together with Indian relics, and a finely 
preserved beaver, which animal was once the annual tribute of the 
Penns to the Crown." 



Granville John Penn died rather suddenly, March 29, 
1867, no one but his man-servant being with him. He had, 
it is said, " an unsigned will" in his hand. His estate passed 
to his brother. Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn, already men- 
tioned. 

We return now to the last of the children of Thomas 
and Lady Juliana Penn, Sophia Margaretta. From her 
two family branches are in existence, — that of the Stuarts, 
present representatives of the Penn inheritance in Pennsyl- 



The Family of William Penn. 171 

vania, under the entail, and that of the Earl of Ranfiirly. 
Sophia was born in December, 1764. She married, in April 
(? or May), 1796, William Stuart, who subsequently became 
Archbishop of Armagh, in the Established Church, and con- 
sequently " Primate" of Ireland. 

The father of Mr. Stuart was a famous figure in English 
politics, — John, third Earl of Bute, — who was the early 
associate and adviser of George III., and for several years his 
Prime Minister, the shining mark for the shafts of Wilkes 
and " Junius." The wife of the Earl of Bute was the only 
daughter of that even more famous person. Lady Mary 
Wortley Montagu. The children of the Earl included five 
sons, of whom William was the youngest, and was " de- 
signed for the church." He was prepared at Winchester 
School, studied at St. John's College, Cambridge, received 
his M.A. in 1774, obtained a fellowship, and later received 
the vicarage of Luton, Bedfordshire.^ This place he held 
over fourteen years, faithfully performing his parish duties, 
when he became, 1793, Canon of Windsor. Later he was 
appointed Bishop of St. David's, and in 1800 made Arch- 
bishop of Armagh.^ He took the degree of D.D. in 1789. 
Boswell, in his "Life of Johnson," mentions him as having 
been introduced to the Doctor " at his house in Bolt Court," 
and as " being, with all the advantage of high-birth, learn- 
ing, travel, and elegant manners, an exemplary parish priest, 
in every respect." ^ 

^ A thin living, " G. P." (Granville Penn, no doubt) says in the Gentle- 
man's Magazine for June, 1822, " with only two hundred pounds a year, 
although the duty was very laborious." 

^ " G. P." earnestly refutes the idea that his elevation came from his 
father, or was due to his father's influence, and points out that the Earl 
of Bute died March 10, 1792, and that Mr. Stuart's promotion from his 
parish work to the deanery did not come until next year. 

^ Maria Edgeworth says of Archbishop Stuart (in a letter to her aunt, 
Mrs. Euxton, of Black Castle, April 28, 1809), " The Primate was very 
agreeable during the two days he spent here [Edgeworthstownj. My 
father traveled with him from Dublin to Ardbraccan, and this reputed 
silent man never ceased talking and telling entertaining anecdotes till 
the carriage stopped at the steps at Ardbraccan. This I could hardly 



172 The Family of William Penn. 

As Archbishop for twenty-two years he filled a conspic- 
uous place in the affairs of the Irish Church. Extended 
allusion is made to him in Rev. John Stuart's " History of 
Armagh." ^ He died May 6, 1822. The peculiar and dis- 
tressing circumstances of his death have passed into the 
chronicle of the time, and may be given here from the 
obituary article (May, 1822) in the Gentleman's llagazine. 
The Archbishop was ill at his house in London. Sir Henry 
Halford, an eminent physician, was called in, and prescribed 
a " draught," which was ordered at an apothecary's near by. 

"His Lordship having expressed some impatience that the draught 
had not arrived, Mrs. Stuart inquired of the servants if it had come; 
and being answered in the affirmative, she desired that it might be 
brought to her immediately. The under butler went to the porter, and 
demanded the draught for his master. The man had just before received 
it, together with a small vial of laudanum and camphorated spirits, 
which he occasionally used himself as an external embrocation. Most 
unluckily, in the hurry of the moment, instead of giving the draught 
intended for the Archbishop, be accidentally substituted the bottle which 
contained the embrocation. The under butler instantly carried it to 
Mrs. Stuart, without examination, and that lady, not having a doubt 
that it was the medicine which had been recommended by Sir H. Hal- 
ford, poured it into a glass and gave it to her husband ! In a few min- 
utes, however, the dreadful mistake was discovered, upon which Mrs. 
Stuart rushed from the presence of the Archbishop into the street, with 
the phial in her hand, and in a state of speechless distraction. Mr. Jones, 
the Apothecary, having procured the usual antidote, lost not a moment 
in accompanying Mrs. Stuart back to Hill street, where he administered 
to his Lordship, now almost in a state of stupor, the strongest emetics, 
and used every means which his skill and ingenuity could suggest to 
remove the poison from his stomach, all, however, without effect. Sir 
Henry Halford and Dr. Baillie were sent for. These physicians added 
their efforts to those of Mr. Jones, but with as little success." * 

credit till I myself heard his Grace burst forth in conversation. The 
truth of his character gives such value to everything he says, even to 
his humorous stories. He has two things in his character which I think 
seldom meet — a strong taste for humor, and strong feelings of indigna- 
tion. . . . He is a man of the warmest feelings, with the coldest exterior 
I ever saw." 

^ Extracts from this are given in the Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. XLI. 

^ Writing from London to her step-mother, in Ireland, May 10, 1822, 
Maria Edgeworth says, " The sudden death of the Primate, and the 



The Family of William Penn. 173 

Mrs. Stuart, widow of the Archbishop, survived her hus- 
band twenty-five years, and died April 29, 1847. She was 
buried at Luton, in Bedfordshire, in the Stuart family vault. 
Her and the Archbishop's children were : 

1. Mary Juliana, born May, 1797; married, February 28, 
1815, Thomas Knox, Viscount Northland, who, succeeding 
his father, became second Earl of Ranfurly, of Dungannon 
Park, County Tyrone, Ireland. The Earl of Ranfurly was 
born April 19, 1786, and died March 21, 1858. His widow 
survived him, and died July 11, 1866. They had eight 
children, — three sons and five daughters.^ The eldest son, 
Thomas, who became third Earl of Ranfurly, will be 
mentioned below. The second son. Major William Stuart 
Knox, was member of Parliament for Dungannon 1851 to 
1874. The third son, Granville Henry John Knox, born 
1829, died 1845. 

2. William, born October 31, 1798 ; married, August 8, 
1821, Henrietta Maria Sarah, eldest daughter of Admiral 
Sir Charles Morrice Pole, Bart, K.C.B., etc. (Mrs. Stuart 
died July 26, 1853, and he remarried 1854.) William Stuart 
was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he 
received his M.A., 1820. He was a magistrate and deputy 
lieutenant for Bedfordshire, and high sherifl" 1846. He was 
member of Parliament for Armagh 1820-26, and for Bed- 
fordshire 1830-34. His seat was Aldenham Abbey, near 
Watford, Herts. He died July 7, 1874. He had five chil- 
dren—three sons and two daughters — by his first marriage.^ 
The eldest son, Colonel William Stuart, will be mentioned 
below. 

horrible circumstances attending it, have incapacitated me from any 
more home-writing at this moment. Mrs. Stuart gave him the medi- 
cine ; he had twice asked for his draught, and when she saw the servant 
come in, she ran down, seized the bottle, and poured it out without 
looking at the label, which was most distinct ' for external application.' 
When dying, and when struggling under the power of the opium, he 
called for a pencil and wrote these words for a comfort to his wife : ' I 
could not have lived long, my dear love, at all events.' " 

^ List in Burke's " Peerage." 

"^ List in Burke's " Commoners." 



174 The Family of William Penn. 

3. Henrj, born 1804 ; died 1854 ; sometime member of 
Parliament for Bedford. 

4. Louisa, died unmarried September 29, 1823. Buried 
at Luton. 

The third Earl of Ranfurly, Thomas, son of the second 
Earl, and grandson of Archbishop Stuart, was born Novem- 
ber 13, 1816 ; married, October 10, 1848, Harriet, daughter 
of James Rimington, of Broomhead Hall, County York; 
and died May 20, 1858. His three children included his 
eldest son, Thomas Granville Henry Stuart Knox, fourth 
Earl of Ranfurly, who was killed in 1875 while on a shoot- 
ing expedition in Abyssinia, and his second son (brother to 
the last named), Uchter John Mark Knox, fifth Earl, who 
was born August 14, 1856, and succeeded to the title on the 
death of his brother, just mentioned. He is married and 
has children.^ An article in the Pennsylvania Magazine, 
by W. M. Conway, describing some of the numerous Penn 
portraits and relics in his possession at Dungannon Park, 
1884, has been heretofore referred to. The Knox family, of 
which he is representative, forms, it will be seen, one of the 
two existing lines descended from William Penn through 
Thomas Penn. 

William Stuart, mentioned above, who died 1874, became, 
on the death of Rev. Thomas Gordon Penn, unmarried, 
without issue, 1869, the " tenant in tail general" to all the 
property which remained of that which John Penn, Thomas 
Penn, and Richard Penn had entailed in Pennsylvania. By 
the failure of the male line in every branch descended 
from William Penn's second marriage, it now came to 
him as the oldest son of the only daughter of Thomas 
Penn who had left issue, living at the time. Mr. Stuart 
thus received not only the John Penn two-fourths, but the 
Thomas Penn one-fourth and the Richard Penn one-fourth 
of the Pennsylvania property. By two indentures, dated 
August 5 and September 2, 1870, respectively, he " barred 
the entail," and by another indenture, dated November 

1 Burke's " Peerage," 1891. 



The Family of William Penn. 175 

11, 1870, he confirmed all the Penn conveyances previously 
made.^ 

By his will, William Stuart devised all his real estate to 
his son, Colonel William Stuart. The latter was born in 
London (at the house of his grandmother, widow of the 
Primate, Hill Street) March 7, 1825. He was member of 
Parliament for Bedfordshire 1854-57 and 1859-68, and 
magistrate and deputy lieutenant. He married, September 
13, 1859, Katharine, eldest daughter of John Armitage 
Nicholson, Esq., of Belrath, County Meath. She died Oc- 
tober 16, 1881. Colonel Stuart died December 21, 1893. 
They had issue : 

1. William Dugald. See below. 

2. Mary Charlotte Florence, born at Kempstoue, Beds, 
May 2, 1863. 

3. Henry Esme, born at Kempstone July 15, 1865. 

4. Elizabeth Francis Sybil, born at Kempstone May 20, 
1867. 

William Dugald Stuart thus represents now (1897) this 
branch of the Penn family, descended from Thomas Penn. 
He was born at Southsea, Portsmouth, October 18, 1860, 
and was educated at Eton and St. John's College, Cambridge. 
He is a barrister-at-law of the Inner Temple. He entered 
the army and passed several years in active service in the 
field as an officer of the King's Royal Rifle Corps. His 
principal residence is at Tempsford Hall, Bedfordshire, 
where he has in his possession the famous " portrait in 
armor" of William Penn the Founder, a replica of which is 
in the collection of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 
the beautiful " Group of Four Children" (Thomas Penn's), 
by Sir Joshua Reynolds, a replica of the Lely portrait of 
Admiral Penn in the gallery of Greenwich Hospital, and 
other interesting family relics. Attention has been given 
by him, in recent years, to the remnants of the manor es- 
tates of the Penns in Pennsylvania. 

^ This action is highly commended by Hon. Eli K. Price, in his pam- 
phlet " The Proprietary Title of the Penns," as making a perfect title 
for holders of land derived from the family. 



176 



The Family of William Penn. 



TABLE: DESCENDANTS OF THOMAS PENN. 



Thomas Penn == Lady Juliana Fermor. 

I 



William, Juliana, 
d. y. m. 

William Baker. 

Juliana, 

in 


1 1 1 
Thomas, 

d.y. 
William, 

d.y. 
Louisa, 

d.y. 


John, 
d.s.p. 


Granville, 

TO. 

Isabella 
Forbes. 


Sophia, 

TO. 

Archbishor 
William 
Stuart. 


Rawl 
s.p 


ns. 










nily, 
lary, 
Anne, 




John William, 
d.y. 


Granville John, 

d. s p. 
Thomas Gordon, 

d. s. p. 
William, 

d. s. p. 
Juliana, 

d.y. 


Sophia, 

TO. 

Sir William 

Gomm, 

s.p. 


Louisa Ei 
d. unin. 

Isabella ^ 
d. unm. 

Henrietta 
d. unm. 




1 
Mary Juliana, 
m. 
2d E. of Ranfurly. 




William, 

TO. 

Henrietta Pole. 




Henry, d 
Louisa, d 


. 1854. 
.unm 


Issue (including) 
3d E. of Ranfurly, 

TO. 

Harriet Rimington. 




Issue (including) 
William, 

TO. 

Katharine Nicholson. 






Issue (including) 
4th E. of Ranfurly. 
5th E. of Ranfurly. 




Issue (including) 
William Dugald. 












;t('1IAt;i) penn, iM;()ri;ii".'rAi;v 



The Family of William Fenn. 177 



XI. RICHARD PENN AND HIS DESCENDANTS. 

Richard Penn, son of "William Penn the Founder, was 
\e only one of the three Young Proprietaries, inheritors of 
the Pennsylvania property, who did not come to visit their 
inheritance. Richard was born, as already stated, at the 
house of his grandfather, Thomas Callowhill, in Bristol, 
January 17, 1705/6. He was named after his uncle Richard, 
the younger brother of the Founder, who died in his youth, 
more than thirty years earlier. In 1720, as appears from 
his mother's letter to Hannah Blackfan, Richard was " at 
school." Later he was sent to business in London, and in 
a letter from his brother Thomas to (their brother) John, 
in 1728, the former speaks of him as an apprentice, and 
says,— 

" Neither would I by any means have Dick one day more, while he is 
an apprentice, absent himself from business, and therefore beg you not 
to put it in his head, for if he does not now for two months, while all 
their customers are in town, constantly attend and ingratiate himself 
with them, it being his last Spring, I had almost as lief see him drive 
plow," etc. 

However judicious Thomas's views may have been as to 
Richard's conduct, it appears that the latter, not far from 
the date of this letter, must have exchanged apprenticeship 
for matrimony. Li the reconveyance to the Penns of the 
Pennsylvania estates by Gee and Woods, the surviving 
mortgagees, in January, 1728/9, one-fourth of the Proprie- 
tary right, being Richard's share, was conveyed to his 
brothers John and Thomas, in trust for him, the reason for 
this being, as stated in a note in the pleadings in the Mary- 
land Boundary case, "Mr. Richard Penn being then married 

13 



178 The Family of William Penn. 

was the reason why the legal estate was not vested in him, 
only the Trust thereof." ^ 

Kichard Penn married Hannah Lardner. She was the 
daughter of Dr. John Lardner, a physician of Graeechurch 
Street, London, and Woodford, Epping Forest, Sussex, her 
mother, the wife of Dr. Lardner, being a Winstanley.^ 

July 11, 1729, writing to his brother John, Richard says, 
" My wife joyns with service to you." This was but a few 
days before the birth of their first child, John, who was 
afterwards Governor of Pennsylvania. The following letter 
to his uncle John (" the American") is among the Penn 
palmers : 

" London, July 15, 1729. 
" Dear John I hope you got well home — I got well to Town. Last 
night about Eleven o'clock Mrs. Penn was happily delivered of a fine 
Boy. He is to be named after your honour and I'm to have y* pleasure 
to stand Godfather. Your last Civillitys have put me so far in y' debt 
that I fear [I] shall never have opportunity enough to return them, but 
pray believe me, dear sir, your most obedient [etc.] 

"Geo: Stainforth. 
" To John Penn, Esq., at Fein's, 
" near Maidenhead, Berks." 

It may safely be assumed that Richard's marriage was 
regarded by his two elder and bachelor brothers as an 
" early" and not prudent one. Richard's correspondence 
with them in the years following discloses that John, partly, 
no doubt, from his larger portion, and Thomas, from his 
superior business sense and greater personal force, domi- 
nated the youngest member of the trio. A letter to Thomas 
in Pennsylvania, undated, but evidently in 1732 or 1733 (well 
written for that day, in a good hand, and fairly spelled), 
refers to the landed interests, expresses regret for taking 
Thomas's time, and proceeds, " but I am sure you'd excuse 

^ Presumably John and Thomas must later have conveyed his share 
to Richard in fee. 

"^ Hannah's brother, Lynford Lardner, born 1715, came to Pennsyl- 
vania in 1740, was in the Proprietary Land Office, represented the Penns, 
was Receiver-General, Keeper of the Great Seal, etc., and died 1774. 



The Family of William Penn. 179 

me, for jou know what a situation I was in when you left 
us, and I declare I never wanted a guinea so much as now." 
There is also this postscript : 

"My little boy is in breeches, and I think has throve ever since; he 
sends his Duty to you, my little girl is hardly old enough, but I do it for 
her." 1 

Richard's will shows that in 1750 he had a house, or 
houses, in London, and sundry references in the fragmen- 
tary family letters suggest that he must have spent some 
time in town, but his principal residence during most of his 
married life was at Stanwell, in the city suburbs, in Middle- 
sex. He writes from there to his brother Thomas in Penn- 
sylvania as early as January 20, 1732/3, and for many years 
his correspondence is usually dated there. A letter from 
Bishop Vickris (the old friend of the family, especially of 
John, heretofore repeatedly mentioned) to John Penn, dated 
at Wandsworth, May 2, 1736, says, — 



r 



" I got to Stanwell just at dinner time, & stay'd till 5 o Clock Y' Bro' 
Dick was so good as to propose carrying me to Twitnam [Twickenham! 
in his Chair which I readily accepted on, & twas a great Ease to me. 
Yr Cosen Will Pen went to Sussex last week & no body Knows when he 
Keturns." ^ 

Richard and William Penn, 3d, seem to have been quite 
friendly; at any rate, there is a note extant from the former 
to his brother John's housekeeper at Feens, Hannah Roberts, 
October 29, 1734, — during John's visit to Pennsylvania, — as 
follows : 

" I am going the latter part of this week with my cousin William Penn 
into Sussex; he wants two or three spaniels; if all my bro's [John's] 
are not disposed of I desire you will send by the bearer of this letter two 
or three of them, and the gun which was my cousin Springett's — it is a 
whole stock and steel mounted." 

Richard was apparently desired by his brothers to go to 
Pennsylvania. The letter, already cited, of his sister, 

^ These were John, afterwards the Governor, and Hannah. 
* This was William Penn, 3d, son of William Penn, Jr. Details con- 
cerning him will be given later. 



180 The Family of William Penn. 

Hannah (Penn) Freame, in June, 1736, from Philadelphia, 
to John Penn, in England, says, "He [Thomas] much 
wonders at my brother Richard's declining to come over." 

By the betterment of the Pennsylvania estate Richard 
and his family benefited of course, and probably from about 
1740 they felt themselves comfortably ofi:'. But there are 
traces in the letters of Richard's consciousness of his sub- 
ordination to his brothers. In an earnest letter to John in 
January, 1745/6, a few months before the latter's death, he 
complains of John's having treated him like a child in 
regard to financial matters, etc. Other family aflairs are 
suggested in other letters. In one from Thomas Penn, in 
London, to Richard Hockley, April 16, 1741, the former 
says,— 

" My Brother Richard and Sister are gone to Bath, where she has been 
dangerously ill, but is recovered ; her illness so discomposed my Brother 
that he has not taken regularly to the waters, so that he can give me no 
account of the Effect they have upon him." 

Bishop Vickris, writing from Bristol, July 3, 1747, to 
Thomas Penn, says, — 

"... I congratulate your Bro and Sister Penn upon their having 
another Son, and if he bears the Name of his Good and Honourable 
Grandfather I hope he will inherit his virtues, which will make him 
truly Rich and Great." 

Richard and Hannah Penn had four children : 

1. John, Governor of Pennsylvania. "VVe shall speak at 
some length of him below. He was twice married, but left 
no issue. 

2. Hannah, who is referred to above in the letter to John, 
in 1732 (or 1733), as " my little girl," not old enough to send 
her duty message to her uncle. There is among the Penn 
letters one from her to her uncle John, written in a very 
formal, childish hand (though she must have been some 
twelve or thirteen years old), as follows : 

^ " Twickenham, 4th Ap. 1745. 

" HoKOURED Sir 

" I have done according to your Desire in consulting with Mrs. Dela- 

fosse what Work I should do, and she advises me to do Cross Stitch 



The Family of William Penn. 181 

chairs. I saw my Papa and Mama, last Saturday, who were very well, 
as is 

" Honoured Sir 

" Your most dutiful Niece 

"Haxnah Penn." 

Hannah married James Clayton, and died in Cavendish 
Square, London, without issue. She was buried at Stoke 
Poges, October 2, 1791, where her husband also had been 
buried January 23, 1790. Her will was proved October 21, 
1791, leaving her estate to her brothers John and Richard 
Penn and the children of the latter. 

3. Richard, who became Governor of Pennsylvania. See 
below. 

4. "William. His birth is alluded to in Bishop Vickris's 
letter, above, in 1747. He died in childhood, February 4, 
1760. In a letter to Governor James Hamilton, at Philadel- 
phia, February 8, 1760, Thomas Penn says, " Our family is 
now under great affliction, my Brother's in particular, his 
youngest son and your God Son dyed last Monday of a 
lingering fever." One of the codicils to Richard Penn's 
will says William was buried in Penn Church, Bucks.^ 

Richard Penn died February 4, 1771, and was buried at 
Stoke Poges, His will, made in 1750, and the four codicils, 
1756, 1760, 1763, 1768, convey considerable family informa- 
tion. The will is dated March 21, 1750, and was proved 
March 4, 1771. The testator describes himself as " of Stan- 
well, in the county of Middlesex, Esquire," He appoints 
"William Vigor, Esq., of Taplow, Bucks, and Joseph Freame, 
of London, banker, his executors (but as they both died 
before he did, a codicil later appoints his wife Hannah in 
their stead), they to act as to all his personal estate in Great 
Britain or elsewhere, except America, For America he 
appoints Lynford Lardner, Richard Peters, and Richard 
Hockley. He says in the will proper (1750), after speaking 
of his eldest son, John Penn, " I have at present only three 
younger children, a daughter, Hannah Penn, and two sons, 

^ See letter, previously cited, from the Vicar of Penn, 1895, Rev. J, 
Grainger, M.A., describing the Penn coffins in the vault of that church. 



182 The Family of William Penn. 

Richard Penn and William Penn." In the codicil, March 
13, 1760, he says, " My younger son "William Penn is lately 
dead." He directs that a family vault be made " in the 
body of Stoke Church, in the county of Bucks," fourteen 
or sixteen feet long, seven feet broad, seven feet high. He 
says (1750), " I am possessed of an house called Batavia 
House, in the parish of Sunbury, in the County of Middle- 
sex, with the garden [etc.]. I have purchased two individual 
sixth parts thereof." Later in a codicil he saj-s he has 
bought two-sixths more. He leaves a house in Cavendish 
Square to his wife. 

Hannah Lardner Penn, wife of Richard, survived her 
husband over fourteen years. Her death is noted in the 
Gentleman^ s Magazine (Vol. LV., Part I., p. 326) as of date 
April 20, 1785 : 

" At Laleham, Middlesex, Mrs. Penn, widow of the late Hon. Eichard 
Penn, formerly proprietor and governor of Pennsylvania, in North 
America." 

John Penn, eldest child of Richard Penn and Hannah 
Lardner, became, in 1763, just when the Colonial wars 
closed and the Revolutionary ferment began, Lieutenant- 
Governor of Pennsylvania for his father and uncle, and he 
has the distinction of being the last Proprietary Governor. 
His life from 1752 to his death in 1795 was mostly spent 
in Pennsylvania, and at his death he seems to have left 
behind a good repute, thus fairly preserving, if he did not 
increase, the family name in the Founder's Colony. 

His early life, however,^iad upon it a serious cloud. He 
married " while a school-boy," as the accounts phrase it, a 
wife whom his family, and perhaps more particularly his 
uncle Thomas, compelled him to repudiate. The right and 
wrong of this transaction appear to me very uncertain, but 
the data available are too meagre to permit intelligent dis- 
cussion of it. The wife was, it seems, the daughter of James 
Cox, of London, — whether the silversmith who made Thomas 
Penn's wedding presents for Lady Juliana, I do not know. 
Probably the marriage occurred as early as 1747, in which 
year John would have been eighteen years old. 




Tr.xxxATr (la^dxeh) pexx 



The Family of William Penn. 183 

The course adopted with John was to send him off to 
Geneva, to pursue his studies in care of a tutor. The 
record of this exile in the Penn manuscripts of the Histori- 
cal Society of Pennsylvania is quite complete. Thomas 
Penn, August 6, 1747, made an agreement with one Robert 
Dunant to take John to Geneva, teach him, direct his con- 
duct, etc. A little later they set off, Thomas Penn accom- 
panying them to the Continent. John writes to his uncle, 
October 2, 1747, from Basel, " After we parted, we went 
on," etc., and adds a postscript : " I hope you will excuse 
writing, as I cannot get any pen lit to write with, having 
left the writing box behind, it being put into your chaise, 
out of a mistake." Dunant and John reached Geneva 
October 10, and December 1 John acknowledges letters 
from Thomas, written at Frankfort and Rotterdam, on his 
return, and London after his arrival home. 

The stay at Geneva continued about three years, until 
the autumn of 1751. The preserved letters passing between 
uncle and nephew are quite numerous, and it would appear 
that Thomas did not spare reproofs, while John at times 
pleads so abjectly for pardon for faults committed, especially 
in London,^ as to awaken our concern as to his entire sin- 
cerity, and to show, certainly, that he very much wished the 
continuance of his uncle's favor. There is also a letter, 
without date, from James Cox to Thomas Penn, reciting 
John's marriage to his daughter, and pressing the inquiry, 
since John has now finished his studies, what is proposed to 
be done. It is a straightforward letter, couched in sensible 
language, and, so far as it goes, gives no unfavorable im- 
pression of the Cox side of the case. August 26, 1750, 
"William Lowther^ writes to Thomas Penn from Geneva, 
saying he had found John Penn there, doing well, had 
received many civilities from him, etc. A year later 

' The manner of his allusions seems to suggest something more than a 
reckless marriage. 

^ This was probably Sir William Lowther, the last of the baronets in 
the line of Anthony Lowther and Margaret Penn, — the great-grandson 
of that couple. He died 1756. 



184 The Family of William Penn. 

Thomas Penn was arranging for John to travel, and pro- 
vided funds for him through Thomas Hyam & Son, Lon- 
don, merchants and bankers. In September or October, 
1751, John set off; he writes from Turin October 13, from 
Milan six days later, from Florence November 6, and from 
Rome the 11th of December. Precisely how or when the 
tour concluded does not appear, but the time must have 
been not much later. In the summer following he came to 
Pennsylvania. AVriting from Hitcham, England, August 
26, 1752, to Richard Peters at Philadelphia, Thomas Penn 
says,— 

" I wrote you a few lines by my nephew from Deal, who arrived just 
in time to take Mr. Morris's passage off his bauds, as we thought it best 
for him to stay a little longer." ^ 

The Pennsylvania Gazette, November 30, 1752, contains 
advices from New York, November 27 : 

" Last Monday there arrived here Capts. Bryant and Garrison from 
London. John Penn, Esq., a Grand Son of the late William Penn, 

^ A further passage in this letter is of interest in connection with 
Thomas's expectation, at this time, of revisiting Pennsylvania. He 
says, " I have recommended to my Nephew to give some orders for the 
cleaning of my House, & desire you will give him any assistance you 
can in it. I desire the painting may be immediately done, that the smell 
may be gone before the time I can possibly be there, and the papering 
in the spring, as I hope to embark in April or May [1753] at farthest." 

Mr. Keith says (" Provincial Councillors of Pennsylvania," p. 309), 
" The father-in-law [Cox] wrote to him [John Penn] in 1751, after he 
had been away four years, to induce him to cut loose from the Penn 
family, as he was of age, and his uncle's recent marriage rendered it un- 
likely that he should be his heir ; but John Penn, after a trip to Italy, 
where he spent more money than his uncle thought proper, cheerfully 
submitted to his uncle and father, who did not scruple at sending him 
permanently from his wife. Lieut. Gov. Hamilton, to whom the story 
was confided, offered him a home in Pennsylvania. In order to see his 
father before crossing the Atlantic, he came as privately as possible to 
England. His return being discovered, he hastily withdrew to Lille, 
and waited until an opportunity offered to go to America. He then re- 
crossed the Channel, took ship, and, after various delays and a voyage 
of seven weeks and three days, arrived in New York, Nov. 21, 1752. 
He reached Philadelphia on December 1st, and became the guest of 
[James] Hamilton at Bush Hill." 



The Family of William Penn. 185 

Esq., Proprietary of Penns\'lvania, came passenger with Capt. Bryant, 
and is since set out on bis Way for Pennsylvania." 

And the same jourEal, December 7, adds, — 

"Friday last John Penn, Esq., (son of the Honourable Richard Penn, 
Esq., one of our Proprietaries), arrived here from London." 

Shortly after his arrival, John Penn was made a member 
of the Provincial Council. The minutes, Tuesday, Febru- 
ary 6, 1753, state, — 

" The Governor [James Hamilton] proposed to introduce Mr. John 
Penn, the Eldest son of Proprietor Richard Penn, lately arrived here, 
into the Council, and left it to the consideration of the Board what 
Place they would be pleased to offer him ; Whereupon the Council, 
taking the Governor's Proposition into their Consideration, unanimously 
agreed, as he stood in so near a Relation to the Proprietaries, and was 
himself perfectly agreeable to them, to place him at their Head, and 
that when he shall have taken the legal Qualification he should be con- 
sidered as the first named or Eldest Counsellor on the Death or Absence 
of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor." 

The minutes show him to have been moderately attentive 
to the Council meetings ; his presence is noted after August 
(1753) at eight of them within six months. In 1754 he 
was one of the Commissioners sent to represent Pennsyl- 
vania in the conference with the Indians at Albany, New 
York. April 6 of that year Governor Hamilton informed 
the Council that he intended to appoint John Penn and 
Kichard Peters, of the Council, and Isaac Norris and Ben- 
jamin Franklin, of the Assembly, " as Commissioners for 
this Province to the treaty in Albany in June next." 

John's conduct here, however, did not please his uncle. 
Letters from the latter to Richard Peters refer to him in 
terms of sharp dissatisfaction. These letters especially 
belong to the year 1755. February 21 of that 3'ear 
Thomas Penn writes to Peters, — 

" I write you this line to tell you in confidence that my nephew's 
demands have been so much more than they should be on Mr. Hockley 
that he is ordered not to take any more than the amount of his bills. 
[Some bills, he complains, have been drawn by J. P. on parties in Lon- 
don who did not even know him, and have gone back unaccepted.] I 



186 The Family of William Penn. 

think he had better return to Europe, and begin to fear he wants to 
settle in England." 

Again, August 15, Thomas Penn wrote to Peters, and 
after further complaints of John, said, — 

" Your letter . . . shows me plainly that I must never expect any as- 
sistance from him. ... I receive great pain to find after all my expense 
he will remain so useless a branch of my family. I could not have 
thought it possible that any young man would have said he could not 
do business, and hated a place belonging to his Family, where any man 
might live with the greatest satisfaction, and that he lives in a sort of 
exile in the place where he could live with honour, and where he would 
have been sent had he married the first Duke's daughter in the kingdom. 
... I have nothing to do now but to throw him off" my mind, as much 
as possible, and hope for a more useful member of society in my own off- 
spring. ... I think it better he should return." 

Following these instructions, no doubt, in the autumn of 
1755, about three years from the time of his arrival, John 
Penn returned to England. His last attendance at the 
Governor's Council is recorded on September 24 of that 
year. What occurred in England in the following eight 
years to improve the relations between himself and his 
uncle must be left to surmise, but in 1763 he returned to 
Pennsylvania, commissioned by his uncle and his father as 
their Lieutenant-Governor. Thomas Penn writes to Richard 
Peters, from London, August 31, 1763, thanking him for 
remaining in Philadelphia till his nephew, by whom this 
letter is sent, should arrive, and adds, " We are very sensi- 
ble Mr. John Penn will arrive at a time of great difficulty. 
... I make no doubt all those we have experienced the 
friendship of will assist him. . . . My nephew Richard Penn 
accompanies his brother, to see the country. I must desire 
your friendly offices to him." In the " Colonial Records" 
(Vol. IX. p. 71), a memorandum, at New Castle, on Satur- 
day, October 29, says, — 

"The Assembly sent a Verbal Message to the Governor by three 
Members that the House, having understood that His Honour intended 
to set off To-morrow morning for Philadelphia in order to meet the 
Hon'ble John Penn, Esquire, lately appointed his Successor in the 
Government, and this day arrived in the river from England, proposed 
to adjourn, [etc]." 




JOHN PENN, 



Colonial Governor of TVx. 




The Family of William Perm. 187 

In the Council, at Philadelphia, October 31, the commis- 
sion of John Penn, signed by -Thomas Penn and Richard 
Penn on the 18th of June, and with the royal approval 
August 31, was produced and read, and he took "the usual 
oaths." Then " the Governor, attended by the Council, 
Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen, and Common Council, and 
preceded by the Sheriff" and his officers, went to the Court 
House, where his commission was published with due 
solemnity in the presence of a very great concourse of 
people. Immediately afterwards the Battery Guns fired a 
Royal Salute, and the bells of Christ Church [were] rung 
in compliment to him." 

The next day " the Governor, accompanied by the Earl 
of Stirling, Lynford Lardner, and Richard Penn, Esq's., 
and several other gentlemen, went to New Castle," where 
the commission was publicly read, etc., with due ceremony.^ 

The commission given John, it seemed, was for three 
years only, and was to expire December 1, 1766 ; accord- 
ingly the Council minutes show that in 1766 a new com- 
mission was sent over, extending to 1769, and in 1769 
another for three years more. But in 1771, upon the death 
of his father, John again went back to England. In the 
Council, Monday, May 6, 1771, the president, James Hamil- 
ton, announced that John Penn had embarked for Great 
Britain on the previous Saturday. Richard Penn, his 
brother, produced in October following (16th) a commis- 
sion as Lieutenant-Governor, and served as such until 
August, 1773, when John returned. On Monday, the 30tli 
of that month, John Penn appeared in the Council and 
produced a revocation of Richard's commission, dated 
April 30, and his own commission of the same date. 

The public service of John Penn, beginning in 1763 and 

closing thirteen years later with the final collapse of the 

^ In a letter from George Robert^j, Philadelphia, to Samuel Powel 
(afterwards mayor of the city), then in Londan, dated November 5, 1763, 
the writer says, " Last week we had the pleasure of hearing our new 
appointed Governor's proclamation read. The usual cavalcade attended. 
. . . His honor Penn is a little gentleman, though he may govern equal 
to one seven foot high." 



188 The Family of William Penn. 

Proprietary government, fortunately and favorably shuts 
from view the apparent shortcomings of his earlier life. 
It was, on the whole, creditable to him. His position 
through the whole period was one of extreme difficulty, 
and the fact that he retained his place without alienating 
the good will of the people generally is a testimony to his 
personal qualities. 

May 31, 1766, John Penn married Ann, the eldest daugh- 
ter of Chief-Justice William Allen, of Philadelphia. The 
marriage is upon the register of Christ Church, and pre- 
sumably took place there. The Pennsylvania Gazeile, in its 
issue of June 6, 1766, announced, — 

" On Saturday last the Honourable John Penn, Esq., our Governor, 
was married to Miss Ann Allen, eldest daughter of the Honourable 
William Allen, Esq., Chief Justice of this Province, a young Lady 
adorned with every Accomplishment to render the married State 
happy." 

Of this event Thomas Penn writes to Richard Peters, 
July 17, 1766,— 

" I have this day an account of my nephew's marriage from himself, 
and write to him by this opportunity to wish him joy. I think there is 
a good prospect of their being happy ; she has good sense, great sweet- 
ness of temper and prudence, and I think he knows how to prize quali- 
ties so amiable in so agreeable a form." 

The presumption is that the first wife, the daughter of 
James Cox, was then deceased, but the light on that episode 
is very imperfect. By neither marriage, so far as appears, 
was there issue. By his connection with the Aliens John 
Penn's social, and for a brief time political, influence was 
increased. Up to 1776 the Aliens were in the front rank of 
Colonial importance. Mrs. Penn's mother, Mrs. Allen, wife 
of the Chief-Justice, was the daughter of Andrew Hamil- 
ton, the distinguished lawyer, defender of the newspaper 
press. Speaker of the' Assembly, etc., and the brothers of 
Mrs. Allen — uncles of Mrs. Penn — were Governor James 
Hamilton, of Bush Hill, and Andrew Hamilton, of The 
Woodlands. Mrs. Penn's brothers, John, James, and An- 



The Family of William Penn. 189 

drew Allen, were active and prominent men, tlie last named 
for some time Attorney-General of the Province. 

The displacement of his brother Richard by John in 
1773 seems to have been somewhat abrupt; it caused a 
serious breach between them. The diary of Mrs. Penn's 
brother, James Allen,^ contains these allusions to the matter : 

"August 23 [1773]. The 20th of this Month, Mr. John Penn, my 
Sister, & Brother John [Allen] arrived at New York in the Grovenor 
Mast Ship, & are daily expected here. He comes to assume the Govr 
ernment & to supersede his Brother; to his [Richard's] great dissatisfac- 
tion. This step, tho' highly approved by Mr. John Penn's friends, it 
is thought will lay the foundation of a lasting animosity between the 
brothers. Mr. John Penn's reasons for this measure are that his Brother 
has set up a claim to the Proprietary Estate in reserved Lots & Manors, 
& immediately on his coming to the Government entered a Caveat in the 
Proprietary Offices, declaratory of his right, which he still reserves, not- 
withstanding his signing Patents as Governor. 

" Sept. 8, 1773. Last night at Club the Governor and his brother met 
for the first time since his arrival, but they took no Notice of each other, 
Mr. Penn never having visited his Brother, and being determined to 
continue at variance." 

A letter from Judge Yeates to Colonel Burd, October 6, 
1773, says, — 

" The accounts from Philadelphia tell us there is no connection be- 
tween the present and later Governors, though they have dined together 
twice in public. Mr. Richard Penn takes no notice of his brother, nor 
even speaks to him." 

And a letter the following day from Edward Shippen to 
Colonel Burd says, — 

" Mr. Bob. Morris, the head man at the Merchant's feast, placed Gov- 
ernor Penn on his right hand, and his brother, the later Governor, on 
the left ; but not a word passed between the two brothers." 

This estrangement continued for some time, but appears 
to have been healed within a twelvemonth; a letter from 
Lady Juliana Penn to John Penn, at the end of 1774, ex- 
presses her satisfaction in learning from his letters of an 

1 Pekna. Mag., Vol. IX. p. 181. 



190 The Family of William Penn. 

earlier date that a reconciliation had been effected. She 
speaks most kindly of the matter, and adds that " Mr. Penn 
[her husband] would be sorry any [letter] went from hence 
without mentioning the subject, till he is sure you have re- 
ceived his approbation and affectionate compliments upon it.'* 

In a letter to Lady Juliana, April 3, 1775, John said, 
''I have received your favor of December 31, and am 
obliged to you and my uncle for jour kind congratulations 
pn the reconciliation between me and my brother, which, as 
you observe, was happily timed, for I was then surrounded 
with many vexations, and I do not yet see an end to them." 

In 1773, after his final return from England, John Penn 
purchased of Dr. William Smith a tract of one hundred 
and forty-two acres on the west side of the Schuylkill, and 
soon after built upon it a handsome mansion, giving to the 
place the name " Lansdowne." The estate is now a part of 
Fairmount Park. The house was burned in 1854. It is 
understood that Horticultural Hall, erected for the Centen- 
nial Exhibition of 1876, occupies nearly or exactly the site 
of the mansion. Its erection was completed before 1777, as 
it appears on a map of that year — Faden's — and is there 
marked as exceeding in size and distinction the other 
" seats" of the neighborhood. " Lansdowne" was left by 
John Penn's will to his wife, and she almost immediately — 
March 9, 1795 — conveyed it to her niece's husband, James 
Greenleaf.^ 

" Lansdowne" was John Penn's principal home for the 
remainder of his life, though he had, probably always, a city 
house also." In the stress of the war operations in 1777 
he was sent by military authority to Union Iron-Works, in 
New Jersey, with Chief-Justice Chew, and remained there a 

^ James Greenleaf had married Ann, daughter of James Allen (Mrs. 
Penn's brother). He was associated with Kobert Morris, and was en- 
gulfed in the misfortunes of the great financier. 

^ " After his marriage to Miss Allen, Penn resided in the house built 
for Col. Byrd of AVestover, on the west side of Third street below Spruce." 
(Keith's " Provincial Councillors.") In 1793, the City Directory shows, 
he lived at 44 Pine Street, between Second and Third. He was buried 
from there 1795. 



The Family of William Penn. 191 

prisoner on parole from August of that year until May fol- 
lowing. The feeling towards him seems to have been kindly. 
General Washington, in 1787, when in Philadelphia attend- 
ing the Constitutional Convention, twice or oftener accepted 
his invitations to dine or drink tea. Glimpses of the social 
situation are afforded by extracts from family letters. De- 
cember 13, 1783, Mrs. Eebecca Shoemaker wrote to her 
husband from Philadelphia, — 

" That set [the Tory party] have prudently determined, as they can 
not exist in retirement either at Lansdowne or any where else out of 
public places, to join the others, and Gov. [John] Penn and lady, Mrs. 
Allen and mother . . . and all their former intimates, are now as happy 
at Mrs. Stewart's, formerly M'Clanachan, at the French Minister's, or in 
any other Whig Society, as ever they were in the select circle they once 
were the principals of." 

Same to same, May 23, 1785 : 

"Betsy Allen has been confined to her chamber six months with the 
Rheumatism. Her eldest daughter is now grown up and is a very 
fine girl. Perhaps if young J. Penn^ would think so it would be agree- 
able ; he lives a most recluse life over Schuylkill. He bought about 20 
acres of land and is making it all a garden and has built a house in a 
most singular stile. I believe he still retains that peculiarity of address 
and manner we thought he had in N. York." 

John Penn died February 9, 1795, and was buried in 
Christ Church. A tablet within the church bears this 
inscription : 

Here lieth 

The Body of 

The Honorable JOHN PENN, Esq' 

One of the late Proprietaries of 

Pennsylvania 

who died February 9th A D 1795 

Aged 67 years 

Two statements in reference to his death and his remains 
are commonly made, and both apparently are on the author- 

^ This, of course, was John Penn, son of Thomas, and his place here 
referred to " Solitude." He remained, as we have seen, a bachelor. 



192 The Family of William Penn. 

itj of Watson, who says^ tliat he died "in Bucks county," 
and that, after interment " in Christ Church ground," his 
remains were " taken up and carried to England." As to 
the latter statement, Mr. Thomas H. Montgomery^ sa3's that 
the records of the church afford no evidence of such re- 
moval. The diary of Jacob Hiltzheimer records : " Febru- 
ary 12, 1795, Mr. John Penn, formerly Governor, when this 
State wag a province of Great Britain, was buried from his 
house on Pine street, in Christ Church yard." ^ 

Ann Penn survived her husband, and was made by his 
will, dated January 2, 1795, his residuary legatee, and co- 
executor with John F. Mifflin. John Penn had had, after 
his father's death in 1771, the life use of that one-fourth of 
the Pennsylvania Proprietary right which had come to this 
branch of the family in 1729. A decision by the Supreme 
Court of Pennsylvania, in 1800, in the suit of Richard Penn 
against his brother John's executors, reviewed the subject 
of their property relations, including an agreement which 
the two brothers had made in 1787 respecting the division of 
the moneys received from the estates. The decision of the 
Court was for the defendants.* 

Richard Penn, brother of Governor John Penn and 
second son of Richard the Proprietary, was born, as his 
obituary implies, in the year 1735. He was thus six years 
younger than John. He entered St. John's College, Cam- 
bridge, but quitted without a degree. By the will of his 
uncle, John Penn, he received a small allowance, about 
eighty pounds a year, but this he found quite inadequate to 
support his mode of life. Letters from him to his uncle 
Thomas, asking assistance, and the latter's somewhat sharp 
replies, are among the Penn papers. His arrival in Penn- 
sylvania with John, in October, 1763, has been noted. John, 
as Governor, appointed him to a place in the Council, and he 
qualified January 12, 1764. He was the first president of 
the Jockey Club of Philadelphia, formed in November, 1766, 

^ " Annals," Vol. I. p. 125. 

= Penka. Mag., Vol. Vll. p. 476. ^ Ibid., Vol. XVI. p. 418. 

* Eeported in 2 Yeates, Peuna. Supreme Court Reports, p. 550. 



The Family of William Fmn. 193 

and so continued until 1769, in the beginning of which year 
he returned to England. He there remained until after the 
death of his father, in February, 1771. He was then ap- 
pointed Lieutenant-Governor by his uncle Thomas and his 
brother John, and came again to Pennsylvania, arriving 
here October 16, 1771. He served a little less than two 
years in the place to which he had been appointed, and was 
superseded, as already mentioned, by John in August, 1773. 
Contemporary accounts generally represent him as more 
popular at that time than John. The journal of Miss Sarah 
Eve says, — ^ 

" August 30th.— This morning , . . hearing that Mr. John Penn was 
to be proclaimed Governor, curiosity led Deby Mitchel and I to go to 
see him. For my part I had rather be his brother than he, the one 
possesses the hearts of the people, the other the Government, Yesterday 
he made a public entry into Town with a large train." 

The estrangement of the brothers was apparently not of 
John's cboice,2 and he made overtures to Richard, intended 
to heal the breach. An ofier from John of an allowance 
of five hundred pounds a year, while the latter remained 
Governor, Richard declined, but upon the death of Richard 
Hockley, John appointed him naval officer at Philadelphia, 
and he accepted the place with appropriate acknowledg- 
ments. 

Richard married at Christ Church, Mav 21, 1772, durinff 
his service as Governor, Mary, the daughter of William and 
Mary M^sters.^ This marriage has a romantic interest, for 
thus it came about that the daughter of Letitia Penn's un- 
successful suitor of 1701 now became the wife of Letitia's 
nephew." William Masters had married in 1754, many 

1 Penna. Mag., Vol. V. p. 197. 

^ Though an expression in James Allen's journal seems to suggest 
this. 

'^ Jacob Hiltzheimer's journal, May 22, 1772 : " Richard Penn, Gover- 
nor of this Province, was married to Miss Polly Masters last night. . . ." 

* This statement is in accord with that of other authorities, yet I can- 
not forbear mentioning the element of doubt that appears in it. The 
William Masters of 1701 could hardly have been under eighteen (though 

14 



194 Tlie Family of William Penn. 

years after his failure with " Tishe," Mary, the daughter of 
Thomas Lawrence, sometime mayor of the city, and had 
died in 1760, leaving two daughters, Mary and Sarah, aged 
respectively four and two years. It was the elder of these 
whom Richard Penn now married, and the disparity of the 
ages of the two may be noted, Richard was then thirty- 
seven years old, and his wife, born March 3, 1756, was a 
little past sixteen. 

Thomas Masters, grandfather of the young bride, had had, 
early in the eighteenth century, a large holding of ground in 
the " Northern Liberties" of Philadelphia, and this, inherited 
by "William Masters, passed to his widow and little girls. ^ 
The widow Masters also received from her father, Thomas 
Lawrence, in 1761, a large lot on the south side of Market 
Street, between Fifth and Sixth, and erected there soon 
after a handsome house, one of the finest in Philadelphia, 
which became later an "historic mansion" of the city.^ Here 

Logan, in the letter cited, calls him "young William Masters") to have 
been a suitor of Letitia Penn (who was twenty-three), and if so, he 
would have been a man of seventy-one in 1754, when the person of his 
name married Mary Lawrence. Facts known concerning Mary's hus- 
band, however, indicate that he was not young in 1754, but " well on in 
years." Thomjison Westcott, perceiving the apparent difficulty of the 
matter ("Historic Mansions"), makes an eftbrt to solve it: "And so 
Richard, perhaps in ignorance that Mary's grandfather had nearly three- 
quarters of a century previous been a suitor for the hand of his great- 
aunt," etc. This is only adding error to doubt. Letitia was Richard's 
own aunt (of half blood), not his great-aunt, and, as already stated, the 
William Masters of 1701 is said to have been the father, not grandiather, 
of Mary Penn. 

^ Sarah, the second daughter, married Turner Camac. Cf. Keith's 
"Provincial Councillors of Pennsylvania." 

^ The house is described by Richard Rush as quite superior; " few, if 
any equal to it are at present in Philadelphia," he says in his Recollec- 
tions of 1790-1800. It was the residence of General Howe during the 
British occupancy of the city, 1777-78, and again was selected by 
General Benedict Arnold when Howe departed. After Arnold, Holker, 
the French consul, occupied it, and subsequently Robert Morris bought 
it and lived there. General Washington stayed in it with Morris during 
the sitting of the Constitutional Convention, 1787, and in 1790, when 
the seat of government was removed to Philadelphia, he occupied it as 
the Presidential residence for the next seven years. 



The Family of William Penn. 195 

she was living with her two daughters at the time of Mary's 
marriage to Richard Penn, and a conveyance was made to 
the bride, by the widow, two days before the wedding, 
of her interest in the property, " in consideration of nat- 
ural love and affection," it being obviously a wedding 
present. 

The Market Street house became known as " Richard 
Penn's," though as a matter of fact his ownership in it was 
only through the interest of his wife, and their married life 
in it extended but little beyond three years. The house was 
burned January 2, 1780, while in their ownership. Jacob 
Hiltzheimer's diary, that date, says, — 

" Early this morning a fire broke out in Mr. Penn's house on Market 
street, occupied by Mr, Holker, the French consul, which destroyed all 
but the first floor." 

And Elizabeth Drinker in her journal records, — 

"1780., January 2, Richard Penn's large house, up Market St., took 
fire last night, and this morning is consumed all but y* lower story. A 
most violent snowstorm this afternoon and all night." ^ 

Richard Penn bought, in April, 1775, of Andrew Doz, 
the "Peel Hall" estate, forty-five acres, on which Girard 
College now stands, and it was during his ownership, 
November, 1777 (he being then in England), that the 
British engineer officers burned the house, with many 
others, along the north side of the then city, as a sup- 
posedly necessary feature of their defensive operations. 
"Peel Hall" was sold February 15, 1779, by Tench Francis, 
attorney for Richard Penn, to Owen Biddle, and the de- 
scription in the conveyance shows its condition : 

"... with the outhouses, improvements, and gardens, being now 
torn down, burnt, and almost destroyed, and the tract or piece of land 
belonging thereto being laid waste, and opened to commons, the Fences 
which enclosed the same being taken away and destroyed." 

' The house was subsequently rebuilt by Robert Morris. 



196 The Family of William Penn. 

In the summer of 1775 Richard Penn, with his family, 
went to England.^ He had been solicited by the Conti- 
nental Congress, then sitting at Philadelphia, to take to 
London the second petition of the Congress, the Address 
to the King, called the " Olive Branch," which John Dick- 
inson had drawn up. Penn and Arthur Lee, agent in Lon- 
don for the Massachusetts Colony, presented it to the Earl 
of Dartmouth September 1, 1775, and in November, the 
petition being under consideration in the House of Lords, 
Richard Penn was interrogated, on motion of the Duke of 
Richmond, as to the condition of the American Colonies. 
His replies were intelligent and judicious; he had had, no 
doubt, a sympathy with the Colonial claims, and was well 
qualified to give information as to the circumstances out of 
which they arose. 

Following upon this return to England, Richard Penn 
spent there practically the whole of his remaining years. 
During the continuance of the Revolution, the receipt of 
funds from Penns3'lvania being probably mostly cut off, he 
appears to have been in severe financial straits. A letter 
(1780) says, "My friend Richard Penn's distresses have 
almost drove him to distraction. I understand from Mrs. 
Penn they are now kept from starving by the bounty of Mr. 
Barclay.^ For aught I know Mr. Penn might long ago have 

^ The following letter is among the Peun papers in the Pennsylvania 
Historical Society's collection : 

" Dear Madam : 

" I have just now received your letter of the 22* of March informing 
me of the Melancholly Event of ray Uncle's Death. . . . God be 
prais'd ! the happy & advantageous Marriage I have contracted in this 
Country enables me to live like a Gentleman in England for which place 
I intend to Embark this Summer, where I hope to find you and your 
family in good health. 

" I am, dear Madam, 

" Your Most Obedient Servant 

"RicHD Penn. 

" Philadelphia, May 10 [1775]." 

^ Barclay, no doubt, of the Loudon firm of merchants and bankers, 
Friends, descendants of Robert Barclay the Apologist. 



The Family of William Penn. 197 

been in the Fleet Prison, had not Mr. Barclay stepped forth 
to his relief." 

With the termination of the war his own and his wife's 
circumstances no doubt improved. In 1785 the Masters 
family, Richard Penn joining, sold the Market Street house 
and o-rounds to Robert Morris. In 1787 his brother John 
agreed with Richard to pay him one-fourth of the sums 
received by him (John) as his share of the one hundred and 
thirty thousand pounds voted by the State of Pennsylvania 
as compensation under the Divesting Act, and one-third of 
the returns from sales of the reserved property made after 
the act was passed. Upon the death of John, Richard 
succeeded to the life-right which John had enjoyed in the 
Proprietary estate. 

For many years Richard Penn was a member of Parlia- 
ment. He was elected to the House of Commons April 9, 
1784, for the borough of Appleby, Westmoreland, and 
represented it until December 20, 1790, when he was 
returned for Haslemere, Surrev. From 1796 to 1802 he 
sat for the borough of Lancaster, and in 1806 was again 
chosen for Haslemere. His residence is named as Queen 
Anne Street West, County Middlesex. In 1808, or earlier, 
he came to Philadelphia with other members of his family, 
and his residence appears in the Directory of that year as at 
210 Chestnut Street, between Eighth and Ninth. This visit 
is commonly spoken of as not continuing more than about 
a year. He returned, and died in England. The Gentle- 
man's 3Iagazine says, — 

"May 27, 1811. At Richmond [Surrey] in his 76th year, E. Penn 
Esq., grandson of W. P., one of the Proprietaries, and formerly Governor 
of Pennsylvania." 

Mary Penn survived her husband eighteen years. The 
Gentleman's 3Iagazine records, — 

"Aug. 16, 1829. At the house of her younger son, Richard Penn, 
Esq., in Great George street, aged 73, Mary, relict of the Hon. Richard 
Penn, one of the Hereditary Lords of Pennsylvania," 



198 The Family of William Penn. 

Richard Penn is spoken of as an attractive and genial 
man. Thompson Westcott savs ^ he " possessed a fine per- 
son, elegant manners, was of a social disposition, and a bon 
vivant. He was the most popular member of his family who 
visited Pennsylvania after the death of the Founder." 

Of the four children of Richard and Hannah Lardner 
Penn, only Richard, as has already appeared, had issue. His 
children by Mary Masters Penn were : 

1. William, of whom an account will be given below. 

2. A daughter, mentioned but not named in the Gentle- 
man's 3Iagazine^ who died June 17, 1790. (The notice 
simply says, "June 17, 1790: The youngest daughter of 
Richard Penn, Esq.") She was probably an infant. 

3. Hannah, who died unmarried at Richmond, Surrey, 
England, July 16, 1856. She accompanied her father and 
brother William to Philadelphia in the visit of 1808. 

4. Richard. See below. 

5. Mary, born April 11, 1785; married 1821 (being 
second wife of) Samuel Paynter, Esq., of Richmond, Sur- 
rey, J. P. for Surrey and Middlesex, High SherifiT of Sur- 
rey in 1838. Her husband died July 24, 1844. She died 
without issue March 26, 1863. 

Our consideration of the line descended from William 
Penn the Founder, through his son Richard, is thus nar- 
rowed to the two sons of Richard, 2d, and Mary Masters. 
These sons, William and Richard, 3d, left no issue, and the 
line thus ends. It only remains, therefore, to speak appro- 
priately of them. The two brothers were both notable 
men, having remarkable talents, but William's ability was 
offset by serious defects and weaknesses. They have each 
the distinction of receiving in the Gentleman's Magazine an 
extended and appreciative obituary notice, from which we 
shall quote below. 

William Penn was born in England, June 23, 1776. He 
was entered at St. John's College^ Cambridge, but did 
not take his degree. While there he produced (1794) a 



1 «< 



Historic Mansions," p. 253. 



The Family of William Penn. 199 

pamphlet "which attracted the particular notice of Mr. 
Pitt, Mr. Wyndhara and the Government generally," its 
title being Vindicice Britannicce. It was a reply to a pam- 
phlet which had been published by Gilbert Wakefield, of 
Jesus College, Cambridge, entitled " The Spirit of Christi- 
anity compared with the Spirit of the Times in Great 
Britain." The pamphlet was criticised by the Analytical 
Review, and Penn rejoined with such eflect that, had his 
habits and disposition favored, " a path was opened for him 
to any advancement he could possibly desire." Unfortu- 
nately, "he was too fond of that species of festive com- 
panionship in vogue at that period, and which precluded a 
man from standing in any other sphere."^ 

William was for a time a captain in the Surrey militia. 
He came to Philadelphia with his father and sister Hannah 
in 1808, and appears to have remained in Pennsylvania for 
at least four years. Letters written by him in 1810 are 
dated in Dauphin County, and in 1812 he signs legal papers 
as of Northampton County. The most notable event of his 
visit here, if not of his life, was his marriage. This was the 
occasion of much sharp comment and of some warm dis- 
cussion. His wife was named Catharine Julia (or Juliana 
Catharine) Balabrega, her parents being Jacob and Mary, 
of Philadelphia. She was born March 13, 1785, and was 
baptized in Christ Church. What her relations to William 
Penn may have been is not disclosed, but his appearance at 
the house of Rev. Dr. James Abercrombie, rector of Christ 
Church, on the evening of August 7, 1809, to say that within 
an hour he would return with Miss Balabrega to be married, 
threw that worthy clergyman into extreme distress, and 
when at the end of the time Penn appeared with her and 
her sister. Dr. Abercrombie and an intimate friend of Penn, 
who had been hurriedly summoned, earnestly endeavored 
to dissuade him from the step. Penn insisted, however, 
that he was determined upon it, and declared that if the 
rector refused to officiate, he would go to an alderman near 

^ Gentlevian^s Magazine, obituary notice. 



200 The Family of William Penn. 

by — naming Lim — at once, " and enter into a civil contract 
of marriage," upon which Dr. Abercrombie yielded and 
married them. Later, having been much criticised, Dr. 
Abercrombie published a pamphlet,^ in which he presented 
two letters from "William Penn, describing the marriage 
(as here stated), an extended letter from Bishop White, 
and a still longer opinion of a lawyer, justifying him (Dr. 
Abercrombie) in performing the marriage. 

The objection to the bride is suggested, but not positively 
stated. Bishop White develops his opinion of the case by 
means of a supposititious example, in which one of the couple 
proposing to be married " labours under the apparently just 
imputation of very faulty conduct." William appears to 
have been sincerely attached to his wife at least as late as 
August 11, 1812. On that date he wrote from Easton, 
Pennsylvania, to John Penn, of Stoke Poges, proposing to 
sell to him all his interest in Pennsylvania, with the avails 
of which he wished to purchase an annuity.^ Having ex- 
plained and urged the proposal, — which apparently was not 
accepted, — he says, — 

" I do not think I am likely to last very long, which Idea renders me 
doubly solicitous to place beyond the reach of Inconvenience a most 
deserving Wife, who is indeed my only Friend on this side of the Atlan- 
tic. I shall certainly never visit the other, and am grown so misanthropic 
that I protest I see no difference between the old, and the new World, 
except [etc.]." He subscribes himself "your faithful, affectionate, and 
much obliged kinsman." ^ 

He returned to England later, however, and lived there 
until his death. Of his wife there is no further definite in- 
formation. They are said to have been childless. In 1817 he 
is styled " of St. John St., Adelphi, Co. Middlesex." Much 
of his time he spent in or near the debtors' prison in London. 

^ " Documents Eelative to the Celebration of a Late Marriage." 
Printed by Smith & Maxwell, Philadelphia, 1809. Pp. 47. 

^ He had then, by the death of his father, come into the one-fourth 
of the Pennsylvania rights belonging in this line of the family. 

^ MS. letters in collection Historical Society of Pennsylvania. 



The Family of William Penn. 201 

He wrote for sundry periodicals, his contributions to the 
Gentleman's Magazine being usually over the signature of 
" the Rajah of Vaneplysia," the last word being an ana- 
gram of Pennsylvania, omitting two of the n's. His learn- 
ing was quite extensive, and indeed pedantic, as an ex- 
ample of his letters in the magazine mentioned sufficiently 
shows. 

He died in Nelson Square, Southwark (London), Septem- 
ber 17, 1845. " Pursuant to his own desire," savs the notice 
in the Gentleman's Magazine^ "the remains of Mr. Penn were 
deposited in the church of St. Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, by 
those of his illustrious ancestor. Admiral Sir William 
Penn." We cite in conclusion as to him a further para- 
graph from the same obituary : 

" Extravagance and heedlessness brought him into debt, and he passed 
so much of his time within certain confines in Southwark, that he after- 
wards, when free from such restraint, declined to quit that neighborhood, 
and ended his days there. He was a kind, good-hearted man, and ac- 
cording to a common remark might truly be said to have been an enemy 
to no one but himself. More than this he was a man of transcendent 
abilities, an excellent classical scholar, and possessed of a wonderful 
memory, which he displayed by an extraordinary power of quotation in 
conversation. His talents, however, were rendered unavailable, from a 
recklessness and indifference to his position in society, and a turn for 
conviviality, which was towards the end of the last century very much 
in fashion. When he chose he could transfix the minds of those he 
associated with by the depth of his research and splendid talents. We 
have heard it asserted, that after a midnight excess, and being com- 
pletely oppressed with wine, instead of retiring to rest, he would wrap 
a wet napkin round his head, and write a powerful paper for the Anti- 
Jacobin. He mixed with the highest ranks in society, and was courted 
in every company; and it was of him George the Fourth (then Prince 
of Wales) said, ' He was a Pen often cut (drunk, a term now obsolete, as 
well as the custom, in a great degree), but.never mended.' Had he im- 
proved the opportunities which came in his way towards the end of last 
century and beginning of this, there was probably no elevation attain- 
able which he might not have reached." 

Richard Penn, the younger brother, remained a bachelor, 
and appears to have been a man of estimable character. It 
was at his house in Great George Street, as already men- 

15 



202 The Family of William Penn. 

tioned, that his mother died in 1817. He was for many 
years a trusted and useful official of the Colonial Depart- 
ment of the English government. He devised a cipher 
code for use in despatches, published 1829, with the title 
" On a New Mode of Secret Writing." He was elected a 
Fellow of the Royal Society November 18, 1824. His por- 
trait, by E. W. Eddis, was engraved (1834) by M. Ganci. 
The obituary notice in the Geritleman's Magazine says, — 

" Mr. Richard Penn, jun., entered the Colonial Dei)artment, at the 
beginning of the present century, in which he remained many years 
successively under Lord Hobart, Viscount Castlereagh, and Earls Cam- 
den and Bathurst. He had talents admirably suited for official duties, 
added to a bonhomie and agreeable address which gained him the esteem 
of everyone. He had also a very profound acquaintance with the 
French language, and was well versed in all its difficulties of gram- 
matical construction. Possessed of a competent fortune, he dispensed 
it in a manner suitable to a gentleman. His benevolence and charity 
were of the most extensive nature, and to be in distress was at all times 
a sufficient recommendation to his bounty ; but his feeling for the orphan 
was particularly strong. Mr. Penn possessed a rich vein of humor, with 
much good sense and good nature, all of which are fully evinced in a 
little book which he wrote, under the title of ' Maxims and Hints on 
Angling, Chess, Shooting, and other Matters ; also Miseries of Fishing ; 
by Richard Penn, Esq., F.R.S.' (London, Murray, 12mo, 1842).» 
There are very many neat woodcuts interspersed in the work, from 
designs by his friend Sir Francis Chantrey, and other eminent artists." 

Richard Penn died at his house at Richmond, Surrey, 
April 21, 1863, ''aged 79." He had enjoyed after the 
death of his elder brother (1845) the life use of the Richard 
Penn fourth of the Pennsylvania rights, and upon his death 
they vested in his second cousin, Granville John Penn, in 
accordance with the limitations of the family entail, hereto- 
fore mentioned. He survived his sister, Mrs. Paynter, it 
will be observed, only about a month, and with his decease 
this line from William Penn the Founder closed. 

^ The edition here mentioned is evidently only one of several. The 
book on Angling, with '' Maxims and Hints for a Chess Player" added, 
was published in 1833, with an enlarged edition in 1839, and an edition 
of "Maxims and Hints on Shooting" in 1855. 



The Family of William Penn. 



203 



RICHARD PENN, PROPRIETARY, AND HIS DESCENDANTS. 
Richard Penn = Hannah Lardnkr. 



1 

John, 


Hannah, 


Richard, 


William, 


m. 


m. 


m. 


d. s. p. 


(1) Cox. 


James Clayton, 


Mary Masters. 




(2) Ann Allen, 


s.p. 








s. p. 






• 




1 
"William, 


Daughter, 


Richard, 


Mary, 


m. 


d. s. jt. 


d. s. p. 


m. 


C. J. Balabrega, 


Hannah, 




Samuel Paynter, 


s.p. 


d. s. p. 






s.p. 



204 The Family of Williatii Fenn, 



XII. WILLIAM PENN, THIRD, AND HIS DESCENDANTS. 

The several family lines descended from William Penn 
the Founder have now all been traced except one, — that 
resulting from the marriage of his grandson, William 
Penn, 3d, and Christian Forbes. In the present chap- 
ter it is proposed to follow this line to existing genera- 
tions. 

William Penn, 3d, son of William Penn, Jr., and his 
wife, Mary Jones, was born at Worminghurst, March 21, 
1702/3. The allusion to his birth, " we are now major, minor, 
and minimus/' in a letter from the Founder to Logan, may 
be recalled. His childhood and youth were probably passed 
largely in the care of his mother and of his step-grand- 
mother, Hannah Penn. He was seventeen years old at the 
death of his father, 1720. When a young man he appears 
to have spent some time in Ireland.^ In 1730/1 the death 
of his elder brother, Springett Penn, unmarried, brought to 
him the heirship of the remaining estates of the elder line. 
They included the old estate, " Shangarry," in Ireland, 
with which he was especially associated during the remain- 
ing years of his life, and a place in Sussex, in England, 
" The Eocks," which I presume to have been a remnant 
from the inheritance of the Founder's first wife, Gulielma 
Maria Springett, whose possession descended in the elder 

line. 

Following upon his succession, the first event of impor- 

^ A letter to him from Thomas Penn, in London, March 5, 1729/30, is 
addressed to " William Penn, Esq., at Thomas GriflBth's, Apothecary, on 
the Blind Key, in Dublin, Ireland." It begins " Dear Will." 



The Family of William Penn. 205 

tance — and an interesting one — was his marriage, on the 
7tb of Tenth month (December), 1732, to Christian, daugh- 
ter of Alexander and Jane Forbes. The certificate fol- 
lows: 

The 7th of the 10 Mo. 1732. 

WILLIAM PENN of Kingston Bowrey in the County of Sussex 
Esq, son of William Penn late of Worminghurst in the said County 
Esq. Deceased, & Mary his wife him surviving and CHRISTIAN 
FORBES daughter of Alexander Forbes of London, merchant, & Jane 
his wrife. Having publickly declared their intentions of taking each 
other in marriage before several meetings of the people of God called 
Quakers in Wandsworth in the County of Surry according to the good 
order used amongst them whose proceedings therein after due enquiry 
and deliberate consideration thereof with regard unto the righteous Law 
of God were allowed by the said meetings they appearing clear of all 
others and having consent of Parents & Relations concern'd. NOW 
THESE ARE TO CERTIFIE all whom it may concern that for 
the full accomplishing of their s'^ marriage this 7th day of the month 
called December in the year 1732 They the s^ William Penn and 
Christian Forbes appeared in a publick assembly of the aforesaid people, 
& others met together for that end in their meeting house near Devon- 
shire Square in London. And in a solemn manner he the said William 
Penn taking the s"* Christian Forbes by the hand did openly declare as 
followeth. Friends in the presence of God & this assembly whom I 
desire to be my witnesses I take this my Dear Friend Christian Forbes 
to be my wife promising by Divine Assistance to be to her a faithful 
& loving husband till by death we are separated. And then & there 
in the said Assembly the said Christian Forbes did in like manner de- 
clare as followeth, Friends in the fear of God & presence of this 
Assembly whom I desire to be my witnesses I take this my Friend 
William Penn to be my husband & promise by the Lord's Assistance to 
be unto him a faithful & loving wife till by death we are separated. 
And the said William Penn & Christian Forbes as a farther confirmation 
thereof & in testimony thereunto, did then & there to these Presents 
set their hands. 

We whose names are hereunto f William Penn. 
subscribed being present i Christian Forbes. 

Among others at the solemnizing of the above said Marriage & sub- 



206 



The Family of William Penn. 



scription in manner aforesai 
presents subscribed our nam 

Ann Forbes 
Alex. Forbes Jun. 
Jo. Coysgame 
Eljz. Coysgame 
Da. Barclay 
Mary Banks 
Joseph Todd 
Is. Collinson 
Tho. Richardson 
Marj' Hodges 
Jno. Wilson 
Rt. Gerard 
Mary Falconer 
Alex. Barclay 
Eliz. Barclay 



d as witnesses hereunto have also to these 
es the day & year above written. 



Eliz Knight 
Martha Stafford 
Priscilla Barclay 
James Barclay 
Martha Moys 
Richd Moys 
Wm. Hughes 
Nat Cole 
Jesse Poole 
Phil. Elliot 
Osgood Gee 
[and many more] 



Mary Penn 
Alexr Forbes 
Jane Forbes 
Jno. Forbes 
Barbara Forbes 
James Hoskins 
Jno. Trubshaw 
Wm. Howard 
Tho. Poole 
Tho. Zachary 
Eliz. Wells 
Eliz. Charter 
Patience Barclay 
Jno. Falkner. 



[Certified to be an Extract from the Register, numbered Society of 
Friends 958, and entitled a Register of Marriages formerly kept by the 
Society of Friends at the Monthly Meeting at Kingston. — From the 
General Register Office, Somerset House, London.] 

This was, it will be seen, strictly a Friends' wedding. 
The departure from the Society of William Penn, Jr., after 
his visit to Philadelphia in 1704, had probably influenced 
his wife and children also, and Gulielma Maria (Fell), as we 
have seen, was " publicly baptized" in St. Paul, Covent Gar- 
den, in 1723 or 1724. In the present case, however, William, 
deeply in love with " Chrissie" Forbes, returned, for a time 
at least, to the faith of his great ancestor. A letter from 
his uncle John Penn to Thomas Penn (then in Pennsyl- 
vania), from Feens, 1st October, 1732, makes this announce- 
ment: 

" My Coz° Will Penn has cutt of his buttons, Left of his Sword & 
Ruffles, & appears a plain Quaker, he will Certainly be marry'd very 
soon at Meeting to Miss Chrissie Forbes." 



And a few weeks later we have another letter from John 
to Thomas, dated at Feens, 28th January, 1732/3, the fol- 
lowing passage savoring, one must admit, something of 
levity : 

" I must begin with acquainting you of the Conversion and Marriage 
of our Nephew Wm Penn, with the daughter of Alexander Forbes, 



The Family of William Penn. 207 

which was Solemnized on the 7th of Last Month at Devonshire house 
Meeting before a numerous Assembly to the Consolation of Thousands 
of the Righteous, who are full of the Prophecy of Robert Haddock the 
last Yearly Meeting was Twelve Months, which was that in Two years 
time the Young man should be made a Brave Instrument in the hand of 
the Lord for the Conversion of many, therefore it is believed that in the 
next Yearly Meeting he will come forth in a PowerfuU manner." 

The marriage, indeed, had encountered other impediments 
than those which could be removed by the laying aside of 
sword and ruffles. William was not clear of prior engage- 
ments of marriage. He had, it seems, entered into a matri- 
monial contract, more or less formal, in Ireland, with a 
young lady named Ann Mansell, "and his intended bride 
had to listen," in the Friends' meeting at Wandsworth (near 
London), "to the reading of documents connected with his 
former love affair, including a full release from Ann Man- 
sell and her family, in consideration of William Penn's 
having paid £1000 in compensation for his breach of 
promise." ^ 

The bride. Christian Forbes, is described as a lovely girl 
of a notably pious character. She was quite young — in her 
eighteenth year — at the time of her marriage. Her father, 
Alexander Forbes, was a son of John Forbes, of Aquorthies, 
near Aberdeen, in Scotland, and h^j^ mother, Jean, was a 
daughter of Robert Barclay, of Ury, author of the famous 
Quaker book the " Apology." Between these two families, 
Forbes and Barclay, very intimate relations existed : three 
sons of John Forbes (Timothy, James, and Alexander) had 
married three daughters of Robert Barclay (Patience, Cath- 
arine, and Jean). Aquorthies and Ury are neighboring es- 
tates, and in the Quaker movement in the later half of the 
seventeenth century both families had earnestly joined.^ 

1 Beck and Ball's " London Yearly Meetings," p. 323. 

- In the social and ecclesiastical friction that was evolved, members of 
both families had been imprisoned in the gaol at Aberdeen, and had suf- 
fered some losses of property. The Barclays, Robert and his father 
Colonel David, are well known in many ways ; Besse, in his " Sufferings" 
of the Friends, mentions John Forbes, of Aquorthies, as in prison at 
Aberdeen, 1677, and as otherwise persecuted. 



208 The Family of William Penn. 

The young bride was descended through her mother's 
family, the Barclays, from the royal family of the Stuarts. 
Robert Barclay's mother, the wife of Colonel David Barclay, 
of Ury, who served under Gustavus Adolphus in the Thirty 
Years' War,^ was Lady Catharine Gordon, daughter of Sir 
Robert Gordon, who was the second son of the Earl of 
Sutherland, and a cousin to King James VI. of Scotland, 
who became James I. of the United Kingdom.^ 

The married life of William Penn, 3d, and his young 
wife was, however, pathetically brief. She died inside the 
year (November 1, 1733) of illness following upon the birth 
of her child, a daughter, on the 22d of October. Her 
funeral occurred at Jordans ground on the 7th of the 
month. The journal of Rebekah Butterfield says, " 7th of 
9th month, 1733. Daniel Bell and John Fallowfield was at 
Jordans, att y^ burial of William Pen's wife, daughter of 
Alex. Forbes." The daughter, Christiana Gulielma Penn, 
survived, and it is through her, subsequently married to 
Peter Gaskell, that all the Penn descendants of the elder 
line are derived. There is a sketch of the mother. Christian 
(Forbes) Penn, in " Piety Promoted," Part X., London 
(1810), edited by Joseph Gurney Bevan, — a collection of 
Quaker memorials, — in which her religious character is 
highly extolled. Her age at her death is stated as eighteen 
years and a quarter. 

Christiana Gulielma Penn, the daughter, was reared in 
the family of her grandfather Forbes, at Dowgate Hill, the 
London home, and at Aquorthies. Letters show that for 
some time, at least, Alexander Forbes took a helpful interest, 
as his large means enabled him to do, in his son-in-law. 

^ Whittier's poem, " Barclay of Ury," and its lines — 

" him who stood 
Ankle deep in Lutzeu's blood 
With the brave Gustavus"— 

are familiar. 

^ Through this marriage of Colonel David Barclay to Lady Catharine 

Gordon their descendants trace their descent back through all the 

English kings, beginning with Richard II., to Alfred. (Browning's 

"Americans of Royal Descent," edition of 1894, p 554.) 




CHRTSITAXA (;rT-T7-:i,M A (JASKKLT, 



The Family of William Fenn. 209 

John Penn, in the letter to Thomas, January 28, 1732/3, 
already cited, says, — 

" I am very sorry it is not in my Power to Satisfy my Coz° William 
Penn, but it is not, without acting very much to my disadvantage, where- 
fore he must Stay [wait] which I hope he can do, for some time, for he 
lives now with Alexander Forbess, & is at very little Expence." 

In the adjustment of the Proprietary rights in 1731 (after 
the death of Springett Penn), John, Thomas, and Richard 
Penn gave William Penn, 3d, five thousand five hundred 
pounds for his claim, secured by a mortgage on the Penn- 
sylvania proprietorship. On this mortgage Alexander 
Forbes lent William Penn two thousand five hundred 
pounds. (The mortgage was finally extinguished by the 
three Proprietaries, January 29, 1740.^) In a letter to John 
Penn, from London, April 20, 1736, asking for interest due 
" last midsummer," on the mortgage, Alexander Forbes men- 
tions his need for it, as he is helping William Penn to raise 
some money immediately, his affliirs being in such shape 
" that there is a necessity," etc. Alexander Forbes, it may be 
added here, died May 25, 1740. The Gentleman's Magazine 
records the death, under that date, of " Mr. Alex. Forbes, 
London Merchant, of great Worth and Reputation."^ 

William Penn, 3d, married a second time. Twelfth month 
(February) 13, 1736/7, Ann Vaux.^ She was the daughter 
of Isaac Vaux, of London, and granddaughter of George 
Vaux, of Reigate, mentioned by Besse in his " Sufferings" 
of the Friends, as fined, etc., in 1683. Ann's uncle, George 
Vaux, a physician of Reigate, who died 1741, was a dis- 
tinguished linguist and antiquarian. 

This second marriage was marred, as was the first, by 

^ Breviate in the Boundary Case, pp. 447, 448, 462, 504. 

^ Several of the Forbes family, Mr. Summers says (" Memories of Jor- 
dans and the Chalfonts"), lie buried at Jordans. 

' A letter dated a few months earlier, July 20, 1736, at Battersea, from 
William Penn, 3d, to Thomas Penn, then in Pennsylvania, is published 
in The Literary Era, Philadelphia, May, 1898. It is a well-expressed 
communication, and refers mainly to the Pennsbury Manor property in 
Pennsylvania. 



210 The Family of William Penn. 

unlooked-for circumstances, but of a different sort. William 
and Ann appear to have removed to Ireland, and they Avere 
living in Cork in March, 1738, when a son was born. The 
Friends' records of Cork contain this entry : 

" Springett Penn, son of William Penn, and Anne his wife, was born 
at their dwelling-house in Ballyphechane, in the South Liberties of the 
County of this City, between the hours of 8 and 9 in the evening, the 
first day of the First Month, 1738. 

" N. B, — The above memorial was delivered me by the hand of Wil- 
liam, the father of the above Springett, and desired it may be registered 
in this book. — Joshua Wight." 

The matrimonial troubles of William and Ann must have 
followed soon. Apparently she left him and went to Lon- 
don, and he charged her with one of the gravest of offences. 
A letter from him, in Januarj^, 1741/2, is among the collec- 
tion preserved by Thomas Penn. It is addressed to Thomas 
Penn, who was then in Pennsylvania : 

" Dr Uncle Thomas 

" I wrote thee two lett" in answ' to thine from Plymouth & Philadel- 
phia. I hope thou hast received them both w"*" I have no ace* of yet ; 
I hear that thou hast money of mine in thy hands, if so, I desire thee to 
let me know w' y*" sum is that I may give thee a proper rec* for it and 
have it lodged in y^ hands of Freame & Barclay, in Lombard Street, be- 
cause it may prevent my remitting money from here in order to carry on 
a suit I have in Doctors' Commons for a divorce, y® occasion of w"'' I 
presume thou hast heard of, therefore I begg a speedy answ' to this, for 
y* Term is drawing on apace & I must supply my Proctor by a remittance 
from hence in case thou had no money due to me, or that should not be 
sufficient. I am, w"" my d' love to you all, 

" Thy very aff "^ kinsman, 

" Wm Penn 

"Dublin, Jany 12"> 1741 

" I directed my former letters to y^ Pennsylvania coflfee house." 

William Penn, 3d, continued to live in Ireland until his 
death. Letters to Thomas Penn, in 1741, are dated at 
Dublin ; they represent his desire to sell his interest in the 
Pennsbury estate in Pennsylvania (which was not, how- 
ever, accomplished), and mention " my house at the Rocks, 



The Family of William Penn. 211 

in Sussex." A note from Thomas Penn, at Kensington, 
January 5, 1743, addressed " To the Housekeeper at "Wm. 
Penn Esq.'s House at the Rocks," says, — 

" I have sent the bearer Danl Chandler down to view the underwood 
belonging to the Rocks Farm, by order of my Nephew, and send this to 
desire you will provide for him and his horse at the bouse while he 
stays." ^ 

Further letters from AVilliam Penn, 3d, to Thomas Penn 
disclose facts of interest. April 20, 1746, he writes from 
Cork, speaking of the death of his aunt Letitia Aubrey, 
and the provisions of her will ; he mention that his own 
plate is in pawn " with Benn : Pike" for thirty pounds. A 
few days later, April 29, he again WTites from Cork, — 

"... I received yours, with a copy of the Inventory of Aunt Au- 
brey's Goods. I desire the Beds, Quilts, & Blankets, all of y® Linen and 
all of y* Plate* may be sent hither to me soon as possible. Burches 

^ On the back of this Ann Mercer (the housekeeper, no doubt) notes 
the receipt of ten shillings " for Danl. Chandler's charges at the Eock 
Farm." 

- The plate belonging to Letitia Aubrey does not appear to have been 
divided until some time later. The following memorandum is in the 
Penn papers : 

" An account of Plate belonging to y* Estate of Mrs. Letitia Aubrey, 
deseased, & divided this seventh day of July, 1749, between William 
Penn Esq' deceased and Mrs. Christiana Gulielma Penn, the residuary 
legatees : 

"To Mr. William Penn for his share: 

" One Sawspan, a porringer, 2 candle-sticks, snuffers, and stand ; a 
punch ladle, 2 salts, 6 spoons, a punch straner, a purs spring and hook, 
a milk pott, 23 medals and coins. Weighing one hundred and twenty 
ounces, at 5s. 3d. £31 10s. 

" To Mrs. Christiana Gulielma Penn for her share : 

" One coffee pott, 3 castors, a hand C9.ndle-stick, a porringer, a soup 
ladle, a skimmer, 2 wax candlesticks, a tea Canister, a spoon boat, a 
child's sawspan, 2 salts, 1 Extinguisher, a silver cha. and frame, 1 
bobin case and thimble, 1 snuff-box, 8 teaspoons, a tongs, and straner; 
a nutmeg grater, 2 ink horns, a plain box, 3 small box's, a clasp, a 
purs spring, a watch hook, a bodkin, a pensil, 14 medals and coines. 
Weighing one hundred and twenty ounces. 

"Gold, viz.: a Gold box, a pincushin, hoop & chaine; 2 morning 



212 The Family of William Penn. 

will take y^ trouble of getting them shipped & Dispose of y« rem*' 
upon as good terms as possible. Y^ money arising thence, as well as y° 
ready money left Chrissy [his daughter] and me I desire may be re- 
mitted into Ben : Pike's hands. [He concludes] with dear love to all 
yo'' family as if named, yo' very afF"" kinsman & sincere friend." 

August 5, 1746, be writes to Thomas Penn, asking news 
of his uncle John Penn (who died October 25 following), 
for whom he expresses affection ; nothing, he says, keeps 
him from o^oins^ to see him " but a wicked woman, worse 
than all earthly things, who stands in the way and hinders 
me."^ He asks Thomas to address him "at Shannagarry, 
near Middleton, as usual." Finally, December 24, 1746, 
he writes to Thomas Penn, presenting condolences on 
John's death, and says, — 

" It is no time to trouble thee about business, w*"" I shall omit. I am 
indeed in a very indifierent state of health myself, a Scorbutick humour 
attended w"* a Dropsical one. I'm heartily concerned at the misfortunes 
of Aunt Marg'." 

This letter very shortly preceded his own death. The 
Friends' records at Corl^ state, — 

"William Penn died at his house at Shangarry, about 15 miles from 
Cork, of a dropsy, 12 month [February] 6, 1746/7." 

His will was dated 17th of Tenth month (December), 
1743, and appears not to have been proved in England until 
March 15, 1760, when his son Springett presented it as ex- 
ecutor.^ The will appoints John Penn and Thomas Penn 
guardians of the children during the minority of Springett, 

rings, 6 pieces of gold coins, a tag and mask bead. Weighing 4 ounces, 

4 dwts., at £3 13s. an ounce. Val. £15 6s. 6d. 
"6 shell teaspoons garnished with silver — 9. 
" Weighed and valued by me, Richard Langton." 
[A memorandum is appended of some articles purchased by R. L.] 
^ This suggests that in the proceedings between the pair the legal 

situation made it inexpedient for William to come into England. 

Whether the strong expression he applies to his wife was justified I do 

not undertake to say. 

^ Memorandum on copy of will in Friends' collections at Devonshire 

House, London. 



The Family of William Penn. 213 

and he to be executor when he shall attain the age of twenty- 
one. To the widow William leaves one shilling, and states 
his reason for this with candor : " Whereas my present Avife, 
Ann Penn, otherwise Vaux, some years ago eloped from me, 
and hath ever since continued without any reasonable Cause 
to live separate from me . . . whereby I am advised that she 
hath forfeited all Right to Dower and Thirds out of my Real 
& Personal Estate," etc. 

Springett Penn, the son of William, 3(1, and Ann, then a 
boy eight years old, appears to have been at school at Lis- 
more, Ireland, at his father's death. Thomas Lowder, the 
master, wrote, February 23, 1746/7, to Thomas Penn, asking 
instructions, especially in case the mother should claim the 
boy. Later other letters and statements of account fol- 
lowed. A letter from Lowder to Thomas Penn, August 17, 
1747, says of the lad, "He is indeed a very tractable and 
hopeful child, with the best capacity. His dutiful respects 
he desires may be sent to you." June 30, 1748, Thomas 
Penn sends £29 10s. 3d. to pay Lowder's bill for a year's 
tuition, board, clothes, etc. Replying to this, Lowder 
writes, July 7, and says Springett has now been two years 
under his care ; he cannot write much, he says, and this is 
pretty well evidenced by a letter of duty on the same sheet 
from Springett, — a very juvenile attempt, in large characters. 
Later Springett was sent to school to Gilbert Thompson, at 
" Sankey," and a letter from him, dated there November 
15, 1749, is much improved in all respects. He seems, 
from allusions in a letter of Thompson's to the weakness 
of his legs, etc., not to have been in vigorous health. In 
November, 1750, Thompson writes to Thomas Penn that 
the boy set off in the stage-coach that morning for " home," 
and " should arrive at the Bell Inn, in Wood street, either 
on 6th day or 7th at the furthest, being the 23d or 24th inst., 
as the roads may be." 

Thomas Penn no doubt had charge of Springett and of 
his affairs. Ann Mercer, housekeeper at " The Rocks," 
sends Thomas an estimate of repairs, January 4, 1749, dated 
" Rocks House." The brew-house and grainary, she says, 



214 The Family of William Perm. 

need attention. " The house wants tyling, I am obliged to 
set many things about to catch the water, it should have 
been done last summer, but I suppose thee forgot it." In 
a note from Thomas Hyam & Son, London, November 10, 
1751, to Thomas Penn, they notify him that they have 
bought, " according to thy order," a lottery ticket, N^o. 
14,242, " for which we were obliged to give £12 lis. 'Tis 
an extravagant price, but they have been at £12 14s. this 
afternoon ; the Eagerness of People after them is quite sur- 
prizing." On the letter a memorandum in another hand, 
doubtless that of Thomas Penn, says, — 

" This ticket is for the benefit of 
Springet Penu 

Philadelphia Hannah Freame 
William Branson Hockley, & 

his sister Mary Hockley." . 

Whether it drew a prize is not stated; we fear not. 

The relations later of Springett Penn and his uncle 
Thomas were not uniformly cordial. April 25, 1760, 
Springett writes to Thomas, from Ealing, and after a brief 
condolence on " your great loss" (Thomas's son William 
had died only the day before), quickly turns to business, 
and concludes, " Therefore, sir, must desire that you let 
me have in three days at the farthest, all m}^ papers with- 
out exception, that there may be no more troubles, delays, or 
mistakes whatsoever." To this Thomas sent an indignant, 
brief answer, from "Marybone, April 26;" he charges 
Springett with "ingratitude" and "inhumanity:" "am now," 
he says, " attending the body of my son, and cannot think 
of any business of my own till he is interred," nor that of 
any one. He desires to break ofl' all further communication, 
and directs Springett to send to Mr. Heaton, his attorney. 
Later, May 6, Springett writes from " Broad Street Build- 
ings" that his attorney is Mr. Thomas Life, at that address. 
" I hope," he says, " my Aunt and Cousins are well, and I 
am y" dutiful Nephew." To this Thomas replied that he 
had sent the deeds to Mr. Heaton, " this morning, and have 
desired he will confer with Mr. Life about your atfairs." 



The Family of William Penn. 215 

Again, May 27, Springett writes from Great Ealing, desiring 
an interview, and this Thomas writes declining, referring 
him to his attorney, "as I have met with a Treatment from 
you I think very improper, and that it is owing to your 
being under an influence which I think is not for your 
honour or service." ^ 

Later correspondence indicates an improvement of re- 
lations. A letter from Springett at Dublin, June 16, 
1764, speaks of an offer from Thomas for his interest in 
Pennsbury. Finally, this last male bearing the name of 
Penn, descended from William Penn and Gulielma Maria 

^ There is a letter from Benjamin Franklin, in London, May 9, 1761, 
to Edward Penington, Philadelphia, in which the writer — who would 
have much regretted to overlook any serious defects of Thomas Penn — 
explains at length the representations made to him by " Mr. Springett 
Penn," who he says is " a very sensible, discreet young man, with ex- 
cellent dispositions." The substance of the letter is that Springett be- 
lieves his uncle Thomas has tried to keep him ignorant of his property 
rights, in order, he intimates, to defraud him. Springett particularly 
wants to know about a manor of seventy-five thousand acres on the Sus- 
quehanna, said to have been surveyed for his uncle Springett, 2d, by Sir 
William Keith, and he wishes to know the value of Pennsbury, the full 
title to which Uncle Thomas is desirous to acquire. The following passage 
from the letter may be given in full : 

"There has by his account been something very mysterious in the 
conduct of his uncle, Mr. Thomas Penn, towards him. He was his 
guardian ; but instead of endeavoring to educate him at home, under 
his eye, in a manner becoming the elder branch of their house, has 
from his infancy been endeavoring to get rid of him. He first proposed 
sending him to the East Indies. When that was declined he had a 
scheme of sending him to Russia ; but the young gentleman's mother 
absolutely refusing to let him go out of the kingdom, unless to Penn- 
sylvania, to be educated at the college there, he would by no means 
hear of his going thither, but bound him an apprentice to a country 
attorney, in an obscure part of Sussex, which, after two years' stay, 
finding that he was taught nothing valuable, nor could see any company 
that might improve him he left, and returned to his mother, with whom 
he has been ever since, much neglected by his uncle," etc. 

These statements bear all the marks of being inspired by Ann Penn. 
It is very likely that Thomas had suggested plans to get the boy away 
from her, which she thwarted. That Thomas wished to defraud his 
ward, I do not suppose. (The letter is in Bigelow's " Franklin," Vol. I. 
p. 422. — It seems more appropriate for the date to be 17(30.) 



216 The Family of William Penn. 

Springett, died unmarried, at Dublin, in November, 1766. 
His mother wrote from that city on the 11th of that month 
to Thomas Penn, — 

"Sir: 

" I have taken the earliest opportunity my present Indisposition would 
admitt of acquainting you with the Irreparable loss I have sustained by 
the Death of my Son. He had for a considerable time a most violent 
cough, attended with symptoms of a Decay, which ultimately terminated 
in Consumption that nothing the Physicians of this Kingdom could 
Prescribe would stop. His Will has been opened, whereby he has left 
me all his Keall and Personall Fortune in Ireland and America. Nothing 
could Induce me to write in my Present afflicted Situation but the Re- 
spect I shall allways Endeavor to shew to his Relations that is in the 

power of 

"Sir, Y' Humble Serv» 

"Ann Penn." 

Same to same, Dublin, ISTovember 29, 1766, — 

[She is obliged by his letter of the 20th] " particularly by your prof- 
fers of information and services respecting affairs in Pennsylvania. I 
must take y^ liberty of setting you right in regard to Pennsbury, for all 
remainders to that Estate were barred by my son, by a recovery suffered 
by him under the directions and conduct of Mr. Life and Mr. Pening- 
ton ; y'' former can give you full satisfaction in those particulars. I lodge 
at Mrs. Keson's, in York street, where," etc. 

Same to same, February 18, 1767, acknowledging one 
from Thomas Penn of January 31, — 

" I always considered Mr. Life as Mr. Penn's adviser in business. [He 
is the proper person to advise T. P. of the steps taken to cut off the en- 
tail of the American estates. Mr. Penington had written (from Penn- 
sylvania) that] every matter was completed. [She will sell her estate in 
America] for the purpose of discharging a large debt contracted by my 
son, as well as the heavy one due Mr. Gaskell, with which the Irish 
estate is encumbered." [She wishes to be on a good footing with her 
son's family, but complains much of " Mr. Gaskell," and goes at length 
into details.] 

Same to same, Dublin, March 14, 1767, — 

" Since my last to you I have been married to Mr. Alexander Durdin, 
an attorney of this City." [She now does not wish to sell the Pennsyl- 
vania property. She had given Mr. Penington power of attorney to sell 



The Family of William Penn. 217 

it. Mr. Durdin has gone on circuit, and will be back by the middle of 
April. He is not himself inclined to go to Pennsylvania ; he is busy, 
and his business profitable.] 

And this closes Mrs. Yaux-Penn-Durdin's letters. Inside 
a month she had quitted the scene. Edward Scriven 
(probably a lawyer) writes from Dublin, April 16, 1767, to 
Thomas Penn, saying her marriage was unknown in advance 
to him or others conversant with her son's affairs, and that 
it was formed with a person she scarcely knew. It occurred 
" the latter end of February." Then she continued " in a 
bad state of health," and " as her Physician informed me, 
Dyed the 13 Instant." 

Alexander Durdin was, it is stated, of a family " origi- 
nally from the county of Norfolk." Ann Vaux Penn was 
his third wife. In the brief time between her marriage to 
him and her death, something less than two months, she 
had made her will in his favor, thus carrying to him that 
part of the Penn property in Ireland and America which 
her first husband, William Penn, 3d, had left to their son, 
Springett, Sd, and which the latter, at his death, had left to 
her. Her will was dated March 11, 1767, and Alexander 
Durdin was by it " devisee and residuary legatee." The 
will also created a trusteeship, the precise nature of which 
I have not investigated, James Duncan (who died before 
March 16, 1784) and Joseph Hoare, " of Dublin, Esquire," 
being trustees. 

Mr. Durdin promptly entered into correspondence with 
Thomas Penn. He writes him from Dublin, August 13, 
1767. He has received a letter "from Mr. Ben : Pike in 
Corke," about the cutting off the entail. Mr. Penington 
has since sent him a " copy of the Recovery suffered by Mr. 
Springett Penn." He has consulted counsel, and is informed 
as to his rights. He will sell the Pennsylvania interest to 
Thomas Penn sooner than any one else ; he will act fairly. 
His letter reads as though candid and reasonable, though 
it may have been neither.^ 

^ In 1784 Mr. Durdin gave letters of attorney (in which Hoare, the 
surviving trustee, joined) to Richard Durdin, "of the city of Dublin, 

16 



218 The Family of William Penn. 

We need not, however, dwell on this branch of the sub- 
ject. The second marriage episode of William Penn, 3d, 
closes here, with the single exception — not an unimportant 
one to the lawyers — that a lawsuit followed between Alex- 
ander Durdin and Christiana Gulielma (Penn) Gaskell, the 
half-sister of Springett Penn, which lasted out the eigh- 
teenth century. " Christiana Gulielma's fortune was never 
paid," Maria Webb says,^ " and Durdin resisted the claims 
made upon him to obtain it. The result was a long suit in 
chancery, which did not terminate till the year 1800, when 
the Shangarry estate was divided between the heirs-at-law of 
Peter Gaskell and Alexander Durdin." Springett's will, it 
appears, was executed December 21, 1762, but the "recov- 
ery" suffered by him to bar the entail was not completed 
until April, 1764. An opinion by Henry Wilmot, counsel 
for Thomas Penn, remaining in the Penn papers, says, there- 
fore, that as to the Pennsbury Manor Springett died intes- 
tate. In England, intestate property could not go to heirs 
of the half-blood, — i.e., the Gaskells; it would go to the 
Crown first; but Wilmot says he does not know the Penn- 
sylvania law as to this. 

We return, now, to pursue the line from Christiana Guli- 
elma Penn, the daughter of William Penn, 3d, by his first 
wife. Christian Forbes. She was born, as already stated, 
October 22, 1733. She married Peter Gaskell, of Bath, 
England. From the similarity of their arms it is inferred 
that his family was related to the Gaskells of Lancashire, a 

gentleman, eldest son of Alexander Durdin," empowering him to take 
charge of the property in Pennsylvania and Delaware which had come 
to Alexander from his wife. One of these letters was dated March 16, 
1784, and acknowledged before the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and a subse- 
quent one, September 17, 1784, was acknowledged before the Lord Mayor 
of Cork. Eichard Durdin, no doubt, then came to this country. He 
was, it is stated, a son of Alexander by his second wife, and married a 
Miss Esmonde, daughter and co-heiress of Sir John Esmonde, of Hunt- 
ington Castle, near Ferris, Ireland. Members of the Durdin family, 
Miss Fanny Durdin and her brother, died in Philadelphia 1812 and 
1809. ( Of. Penna. Mag., Vol. V. p. 364.) 

^ "Penns and Peningtons," p. 437, American edition. 



The Family of William Perm. 219 

representative of which was the family of that name at 
Beaumont Hall in that county, and Kiddington Hall, Oxford.^ 
The home of some of his immediate ancestors, it has been 
stated, was Macclesfield, Cheshire.^ His marriage to Chris- 
tiana Gulielma Penn took place in 1761. Thomas Penn, in 
England, writing to William Peters, at Philadelphia, Octo- 
ber 9 of that year, says, " Miss Penn's and Miss Freame's 
accounts I shall expect soon ; the former is married to one 
Mr. Gaskell ; I suppose he and his wife must send over a joint 
power-of-attorney," And later, December 12, same year, 
he writes, "Miss Christiana Penn is married to Mr. Gaskel; 
they send a power-of-attorney by a ship that is expected to 
go soon for Philadelphia to you and Mr. Hockley, to finish 
the sale of her land." 

Peters and Hockley had been Miss Penn's agents before 
her marriage ; she had given them her letter of attorney, 
March 5, 1755, some months after she came of age. She 
describes herself in the letter as " of London, spinster." 
From her great-aunt, Letitia Aubrey, she had inherited 
valuable lots and lands in the city of Philadelphia, the 
old Manor of Mount Joy (Upper Merion Township), and 
Fagg's Manor.^ These several properties continued to be 

1 Cf. Burke, "County Families," edition of 1868. 

^ Statement of Peter Penn-Gaskell Hall to the author. —A member 
of the family, writing late in the last century, describes a visit to the 
grave of Peter Gaskell's grandfather, at or near Macclesfield. — Martin, 
" History of Chester (Pennsylvania)," in connection with remarks on the 
Penn-Gaskells, refers to "the Gaskells of Rolfe's Hold, Bucks." 

^ Fagg's Manor was created by William Penn in 1682, being a grant 
of fifty thousand acres to Sir John Fagg, as trustee for his (W. P.'s) 
wife and children. It was not laid out until 1700, when Penn was in 
Pennsylvania the second time, and perhaps not more than thirty thou- 
sand acres were located. It included in part several townships of 
southern Chester County, and extended over the line into Newcastle 
County, Delaware. Letitia Aubrey's share appears to have been at least 
seven thousand one hundred and seventy-five acres (Futhey and Cope's 
"History of Chester County, Pennsylvania"). Peters and Hockley 
sold in 1758 for C. G. Penn several tracts in this manor, one of which, it 
is stated, — one hundred and eighty two and a half acres, sold to Thomas 
Charlton, — remains (1897) partly or entirely in the ownership of his 



220 The Family of William Penn. 

objects of concern and attention by her several agents from 
the time stated, 1755, down to her death in 1803. Space 
cannot be afforded here to go into the subject, but a com- 
plete examination of the record offices for Philadelphia and 
Chester Counties would develop a vast mass of business and 
legal details of some interest, as showing the connection of 
the Penn family, in its elder branch, with the soil of Penn- 
sylvania. Besides William Peters and Richard Hockley, 
other agents were Miers Fisher, Thomas Cliffi)rd, and John 
Abraham de Normandie, who were constituted in 1785, on 
the death of Peter Gaskell ; Edward Edwards, constituted 
1794; Israel Morris, of Harford County, Maryland; and 
Christiana Gulielma's son, Peter Gaskell (afterwards Peter 
Penn-Gaskell), who came to this country about 1785, prob- 
ably upon his father's decease. 

In 1774 proceedings were begun to effect a " common 
recovery" of entailed family property in Philadelphia, in 
which the Gaskells represented a three-fourths interest (de- 
rived two-fourths from Christiana Gulielma's uncle Spring- 
ett and one-fourth from her father), while the other one- 
fourth was the share of the Fell-Thomas branch, represented 
at that time by " Charles Hurst and others," with whom a 
partition was effected in 1775. A suit for damages brought 
by Hurst and John Barron against Christiana Gulielma 
Gaskell resulted in a judgment for the plaintiffs, in the 
Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County, at the 
June Term, 1786, for four thousand five hundred and thirty- 
six pounds, with costs, and a number of the defendant's city 
properties were levied on by the sheriff, and some sold, 
before a settlement was effected, January 1, 1790. 

In 1785 Peter Gaskell died. The children of himself and 
wife are stated as five in number, as follows : ^ 

grandson of the same name. Sir John Fagg was a cousin of William 
Penn the Founder's first wife ; the mother of Mary Proude (Springett- 
Penington) was Ann Fagg. {Cf. brief table, ante.) 

^ Browning, " Americans of Royal Descent ;" Thomas Gilpin's " Chart 
of Penn Family;" MS. sketch, by C. R. Hildeburn, in collections of 
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Cf. also Burke's "Landed 
Gentry," edition of 1879. 



The Family of William Penn. 221 

1. Thomas Penn-Gaskell, who inherited the Irish and 
other property. He is described as of Shangarrj (or Shan- 
nagarry), and died at Dublin, Ireland, in 1823, without 
living issue. A contemporary obituary notice says, — 

"Died at his house, in Fitzwilliam-Square, Dublin, ou the 19th of 
October, 1823, aged 61, Thomas Penn Gaskell, of Shanagarry, in the 
county of Cork, Esq. This gentleman was the heir-general of the cele- 
brated legislator William Penn. . . . His estate in the county of Cork 
Mr. Gaskell inherited by lineal succession from his illustrious ancestor. 
Vice- Admiral Sir William Penn. . . . After being engaged forty years 
in a suit in the Irish Chancery, and expending upward of £20,000, he 
obtained a decree to possess his estate.^ He married in the year 1794, 
a daughter of the Dowager Countess of Glandore, who lived but a few 
years ; they had only one son, who died an infant. After so much 
affliction he retired from the world and lived a very secluded life." 

His Irish property descended to his brother next named. 

2. Peter Penn-Gaskell. See below. 

3. Alexander Forbes Gaskell (or Penn-Gaskell), d. s. p. 

4. William Gaskell (or Penn-Gaskell), of Loudon, who 
had two children : (1) William Penn-Gaskell, born Febru- 
ary 20, 1808 ; (2) Elizabeth, d. s. p. Of these, William mar- 
ried and had ten children, the youngest of whom is George 
Penn-Gaskell, of (1898) N'o. 12, Nicoll Road, Willesden, 
S.W., London. 

5. Jane Gaskell (or Penn-Gaskell), d. s. p? 

Christiana Gulielma Gaskell survived her husband eigh- 
teen years. Her mother's memorial in " Piety Promoted," 
already cited, says she " died a widow at Bath, in 1803." 
The place named is an error. She continued her residence 
at Bath for several years after her husband's death, and is so 
described in legal papers ; but in 1795, and perhaps earlier, 
she is described as " of Thornhaugh street, in the parish of 
St. Giles in the Fields, in the county of Middlesex, Eng- 

^ This allusion refers, perhaps, to the litigation between the Gaskells 
and Alexander Durdin rather than to a lawsuit by Thomas Penn-Gaskell. 

^ The names of Nos. 3, 4, and 5 are placed according to the order of a 
MS. pedigree by C. K. Hildeburn ; the statement that Nos. 3 and 5 d. s. p. 
is given on the authority of Browning, " Americans of Royal Descent." 



222 The Family of William Penn, 

land," and she there died. The Gentleman's Magazine con- 
tains the following notice : 

[March, 1803] " 24. At her house in Thornhaugh-street, Bedford- 
square [London] aged 69, Mrs. Gaskell, relict of Peter G., esq., of the 
city of Bath, and only daughter of Wm. Penn, esq., late of Shannagarry, 
CO. Cork, Ireland, the grandson and heir of William Penn. . . ." 

Peter Penn-Gaskell, son of Peter Gaskell and Christiana 
Gulielma Penn, came, as stated, to this country about 1785. 
He married, 1793, Elizabeth, daughter of Nathan Edwards, 
of Radnor, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. He died July 
16, 1831, as stated by the inscription on his tombstone in 
the Baptist Church of Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, which 
adds that his age was sixty-eight years, thus fixing his birth as 
in 1763. He purchased, 1796, three years after his marriage, 
of John Bewley, -a tract of land and residence in Radnor 
(near the present railway station. Villa Nova), which he 
called " Ashwood," and which remained in the family pos- 
session until 1888. In 1823, upon the decease of his brother 
Thomas Penn-Gaskell, he came into succession as owner of 
the Irish property, and he was thereafter known as " of 
Shangarry." He assumed, " by royal license," May 31, 
1824, " in compliance with the testamentary injunction of 
his brother," the additional surname of Penn,^ and the 
family name has since so continued. 

Elizabeth (Edwards) Penn-Gaskell, widow of Peter, died 
July 19, 1834, " aged 62 years." In her will, dated June 
21, and proved September 12, 1834, she leaves three thou- 
sand dollars for tombstones to be placed over the remains 
of her husband, herself, and their children, in the Baptist 
burial-ground at Lower Merion. '^ 

The children of Peter Penn-Gaskell and Elizabeth 
Edwards were eight in number, as follows : 

1. William, born 1794; died unmarried October 12,1817. 
Buried at Lower Merion Baptist Church. 

J Burke's " Landed Gentry," edition of 1879. 

^ They were so placed, and the inscriptions upon them have been used 
for this essay. 



The Family of William Penn. 223 

2. Thomas, whom Burke (" Landed Gentry," edition of 
1879) describes "of Ballymaloe, county Cork, Ireland, and 
Penn Hall, Montgomery county, Pa., born 1796." He was 
married, December 22, 1825, by Right Rev. Bishop White, 
to Mary, daughter of George McClenachan. He died at his 
home, " Penn Cottage," in Lower Merion, near Philadelphia, 
" at 5 o'clock," on the morning of Sunday, October 18, 1846, 
" in the 52nd year of his age." He was buried " in his 
vault," at St. John's R. C. Church, Thirteenth Street, above 
Chestnut, Philadelphia, on the 20th.^ His wife Mary died 
December 21, 1867, " at Penn Cottage, Lower Merion," and 
was buried on the 24th, in the vault at St. John's, with her 
husband. They appear to have had no children. 

3. Eliza, died unmarried, at " Ashwood," November 23, 
1865, " aged 67 years," and was buried at Lower Merion. 
She had been resident at " Ashwood" all her life, and by 
her will (1861, codicil 1862) she made elaborate provision 
designed to preserve the ownership in the family; after 
partition, however, the last part of it, about fifty acres, was 
sold, 1888, to Dr. J. M. Da Costa, of Philadelphia. 

4. Alexander Forbes, died unmarried, at " Ashwood," 
September 8, 1829, "aged 27 years," and was buried at 
Lower Merion. 

5. Peter, married Louisa Heath, and had issue. See 
below. / 

6. Christiana Gulielma, married William Swabric Hall, 
and had issue. See below. 

7. Jane, died unmarried, July 7, 1852, " aged 24 years," 
and was buried at Lower Merion. 

8. Isaac, died unmarried, without issue, October 24, 1842, 
"aged 32 years," and was buried at Lower Merion. His 
will, dated October 23, 1842, was probated May 16, 1843, 
his brother, Thomas Penn-Gaskell, to whom letters of ad- 
ministration had previously been granted, withdrawing 
them and consenting to the probate, " though," the record 

^ Funeral notice in Pennsylvania Inquirer ; "History of the Friendly 
Sons of St. Patrick," etc., Philadelphia, 1892. The latter mentions that 
Thomas Penn-Gaskell became a member of the Hibernian Society, 1835. 



224 The Family of William Penn. 

says, " his belief of the mental incapacity of the [deceased] 
to make a will remains unaltered." Browning (" Americans 
of Royal Descent") designates Isaac Penn-Gaskell as " Dr.," 
and adds " of Paris." 

Peter Penn-Gaskell, " of Shangarry," second of that 
name, son of Peter and Elizabeth, was born April 3, 1803, 
and married, February 15, 1825, Louisa Adelaide, daughter 
of Charles P. Heath. She was descended through her 
mother, Esther Keeley, from Captain Anthony Wayne, the 
grandfather of General Anthony Wayne, her great-grand- 
mother being Esther Wayne, a first cousin of the general. 
Peter Penn-Gaskell, 2d, died April 6, 1866. He describes 
himself in his will as " of No. 1613 Chestnut street, in the 
City of Philadelphia," and " of Shangarry, in the county of 
Cork, in Ireland." His will is very long. He leaves Shan- 
garry to his son William, and then to Peter, who received 
it by William's decease. 

Louisa, wife of Peter Penn-Gaskell, 2d, survived him. 
Her will, dated June 29, 1869, was made in London, and 
describes her as " of Philadelphia, in the United States of 
America, but now residing at Eastbourne Terrace, Hyde 
Park, London, widow." It had three codicils added, the 
latest March 27, 1877, and was proved in Philadelphia July 
30, 1878. The last codicil mentions her son Peter as " now 
living in London." 

The children of Peter Penn-Gaskell, 2d, and Louisa 
Heath were ten in immber, as follows : 

1. Elizabeth, born 1828 ; died 1869 ; married Samuel Rufi" 
Skillern, M.D., of Huntsville, Alabama. By this marriage 
there were two children. The younger was Louella, who 
died aged three years ; the other was Penn-Gaskell Skillern, 
M.D., of Philadelphia, born April 28, 1856; married Octo- 
ber 17, 1878, Anna Dorsey, and has issue : (1) Violet Skillern, 
born November 13, 1879 ; (2) Peter Penn-Gaskell Skillern, 
Jr., born March 26, 1882. 

2. Louisa, married. May 15, 1845, at St. Stephen's P. E. 
Church, Philadelphia, by Rev. H. W. Ducachet, D.D., Wil- 
liam Gerald Fitzgerald, of New York. (Burke's " Landed 



The Family of William Penn. 225 

Gentry," describes him as " of Waterford.") She died 
1853, without issue. 

3. Mary Gulielma, died young. 

4. Gulielma, died unmarried, 1852. ("A beautiful girl, 
who died young." — Martin, " History of Chester, Pennsyl- 
vania.") 

5. Hetty, died unmarried. 

6. Mary, married, 1855, Dr. Isaac T. Coates, of Chester, 
Pennsylvania, and died August 22, 1877. Dr. Coates died 
June 23, 1883. They had one son, Harold Penn-Gaskell 
Coates, who married Miss Jarvis, of Philadelphia. 

7. William, died unmarried, December 6, 1865, " aged 29 
years." He was the oldest son, and would have inherited the 
family property in Great Britain. He served with credit in the 
national army in the war for the Union. The record ^ shows 
him to have been mustered into the United States service, 
August 9, 1862, at Camp Struthers, Philadelphia, as second 
lieutenant of the Independent Company of Acting Engi- 
neers (authority for recruiting which was given by the Sec- 
retary of War June 2, 1862). He was promoted to first 
lieutenant December 16, 1862; to captain March 30, 1863; 
and discharged on surgeon's certificate July 5, 1864. His 
death was caused by consumption, " after a lingering and 
distressingly painful illness." An extended obituary, signed 
I. T. C. (Dr. Isaac T. Coates, his brother-in-law, no doubt), 
published in a New Orleans newspaper, January 13, 1866, 
mentions the cause of his death, as stated above, and says 
he " breathed his last in the bosom of his family, and sur- 
rounded by every member of it . . . father . . . mother 
. . . sisters, and . . . brother." The notice speaks highly 
of his scholarship ; " his acquirements for one so young 
were very great." Science, metaphysics, history, romance, 
are mentioned as familiar to him. In standard poetry he 
had read everything " from the Edda of the icy North to the 
sweet lyrics of sunny Italy." His modest and retiring char- 
acter is especially dwelt on, "yet when his sweet voice was 

^ Bates's "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers," Vol. V. p. 919. 



226 The Family of William Penn. 

heard, dignity of speech, good sense, and social eloquence 
always accompanied it." 

8. Jane, who married Washington Irving, U.S.N, (a 
nephew, it is stated, of the eminent author), and died 1863, 
without issue. 

9. Emily, married, 1864, John Paul Quinn, M.D., surgeon 
U.S.lSr., and had one son, Granville Penn-Gaskell Quinn, 
who died 1893, aged twenty-two. 

10. Peter, born October 24, 1843, who succeeded to the 
family property on the death of his father, 1866, and has 
since resided abroad, mostly in London. He served with 
distinction on the national side in the American civil war. 
He was commissioned second lieutenant in the First Regi- 
ment ISTew Jersey Cavalry April 7, 1862, and first lieutenant 
November 7, 1862; was promoted to captain October 23, 
1863, and resigned February 3, 1864, to become major of 
the Second Louisiana Cavalry, in which position he served 
until September 7, 1864. He married, July 6, 1869, Mary 
Kathleen, eldest daughter of Charles Edward Stubbs, Esq., 
of Sussex Square, Hyde Park, London, formerly of Lima, 
Peru. Some time after his marriage Mr. Penn-Gaskell 
visited this country. The portrait of William Penn (follow- 
ing the painting in armor), engraved by W. G. Armstrong, 
and placed as the frontispiece to the first volume of the 
Pennsylvania Magazine, was inscribed to him, 1877, by 
the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Accompanying 
this engraving are the arms of Penn-Gaskell of Shangarry. 
As described by Burke they are : 

" Quarterly : 1st and 4th, or, three bars engrailed vert, in chief a rose 
gu. barbed and seeded ppr., between two trefoils slipped of the second, 
for Gaskell; 2d and 3d the arms of Penn, viz., arg., on a fess sa. 
three plates a canton, gu., thereon a crown, ppr., representing the royal 
crown of King Charles II. Crests for Gaskell: A sinister arm embowed 
with an anchor erect with cable sa. Motto over, ' Spes.' Of Pe7in : a 
demi-lion arg., gorged with a collar sa., charged with three plates. 
Motto over, ' Pennsylvania.' " 

The children of Peter and Mary Kathleen Penn-Gaskell 
are three in number: William, Winifred, Percy. 



The Family of William Penn. 227 

Christiana Gulielma Penn-GTaskell, daughter of Peter 
Penn-Gaskell and Elizabeth Edwards, married, January 2, 
1827, William Swabric Hall, and died March 29, 1830, 
" aged 24 years ;" she was buried in the Baptist church-yard 
at Lower Merion. William Swabric Hall, born in Ensr- 
land, near Liverpool, 1799, came to Philadelphia about 1825. 
He died September 26, 1862, "aged 63 years," and was 
buried at Lower Merion. They had two children : William 
Penn-Gaskell Hall, who died unmarried. May 2, 1862, aged 
thirty-five years, and was buried at Lower Merion, and Peter 
Penn-Gaskell Hall, of Philadelphia, of whom below. 

Peter Penn-Gaskell Hall, second son of William S. Hall 
and Christiana Gulielma Penn-Gaskell, is a graduate of 
Princeton College (now University), IN'ew Jersey, and studied 
law and was admitted to the bar of Philadelphia. At the 
outbreak of the war against the Union, 1861, he entered the 
national service. He was commissioned second lieutenant 
of the Twenty-sixth Pennsylvania Infantry May 31, 1861, and 
first lieutenant August 25, 1861 ; was honorably mustered 
out February 16, 1863 ; and was appointed additional pay- 
master, with the rank of major, November 6, 1863. On 
November 15, 1865, he was honorably mustered out. Jan- 
uary 17, 1867, he was commissioned paymaster of the regu- 
lar army of the United States, with the rank of major, and 
continued in that position until July 2, 1891, when he was 
honorably retired, having served over twenty years. He 
is President of the Colonial Society of Pennsylvania. He 
married, December 24, 1861, Annie M. Mixsell, daughter 
of Philip Mixsell, of Easton, Pennsylvania; she died at 
Yicksburg, Mississippi, February 14, 1869, and was buried 
at the Baptist Church, Lower Merion. Secondly, he mar- 
ried, at San Antonio, Texas, November, 1871, Amelia 
Mixsell. Issue by both marriages, eight children, as be- 
low: 

1. Christiana Gulielma, born at "Ashwood" April 19, 
1863. 

2. Eliza, born at Baltimore, Maryland, February 1, 1865 ; 
married, July 1, 1892, Henry J. Hancock, member of the 



228 The Family of William Penn. 

Philadelphia bar, son of George W. and Elizabeth (James) 
Hancock. They have issue, a daughter, Jean Barclay Penn- 
Gaskell, born March 24, 1893. 

3. Edward Swabric, born at " Ashwood" January, 1867; 
died at Vicksburg, Mississippi, January, 1869. 

4. Amelia, born at Vicksburg, Mississippi, January, 1869 ; 
died at Holly Springs, Mississippi, May, 1869. 

5. William, born at San Antonio, Texas, January 16, 1873. 

6. Peter, born at New York City March 14, 1875. 

7. Amelia, born at New York City February 9, 1877. 

8. Philip, born at " Ashwood" September 10, 1878. 



TABLE: LINE OF WILLIAM PENN, THIRD. 



William Penn, John Forbes, Robert Barclay, 

Founder of Pa. of Aquorthies. of Ury, 



William Penn, Jr. Alexander Forbes = Jean Barclay. 

I I 1 

William Penn, 3d, =j= Christian Forbes. 



Christiana Gulielma =j= Peter Gaskell. 



I I II I 

Thomas Penu-G., Peter Peun-G., Alex. Forbes, d.s. p. William, 

of Shangarry, m. Jane, d.s.j?. of London, 

m. Eliz. Edwards. in. 

Issued. I Issue. 



William, Thomas, Eliza, Alex. Forbes, Jane, d.s.p. Peter, Christ. Qui. 
d.R.p. m.yd.s.p. d.s.p. d.s.p. Isaac, d.s. p. . m. m. 

Louisa Heath. William 
I S. HaU. 



Elizabeth, m. Dr. Skillern. Issue. I \ ^ 

Louisa, m. W. Gerald Fitzgerald, s. p. William Penn-G., Peter Penn-G., 

Mary Gulielma, d. s. p. d.s.p. . m. 

Gulielma, d. s. p. 1. Anme M MixseU. 

Hetty, d. s. p. 2. Amelia Mixsell. 

Mary, m. Dr. I. T. Coates. Issue. I 

William, d. s. p. ^, \. ~~ ,. , 

Jane, m. Washington Irving, s. p. Christiana Gulielma. 

Emily, m. J. P. Quinn. Issue d. Eliza, m. H. J. Hancock. Issue. 

Peter, m. Mary Kathleen Stubbs. Issue. Edward S., d. 

Amelia, d. 

William. 

Peter. 

Amelia. 

Philip. 



The Family of William Penn. 229 



XIII. SUPPLEMENTARY AND CONCLUDING CHAPTER. 

Though it was my plan to state all the facts suitable for 
this essay in their appropriate connection, in the develop- 
ment of the family narrative, it has proved that a number 
of additional data have accumulated, whose interest, if not 
importance, makes a supplementary chapter appropriate. 

ADMIRAL PENN's TABLET AND ARMS. 

, The question, if there really was any, as to the wording 

upon Admiral Penn's memorial tablet in the church of St. 

; Mary Redclifle, at Bristol, is settled by the picture of the 

i tablet (from a photograph) which has been given in connec- 

■ tion with this essay. Though, from the gloom of the 

church and the elevation of the tablet, photography was 

difficult, the picture obtained shows with sufficient clearness 

the presence of the words, " and those Penns of Penn, in 

the county of Bucks," and this record evidence, whatever 

its value may be, is definitely established. 

An article in Notes and Queries, London (Fifth Series, Vol. 
XI. p. 457), describes the Admiral's armor accompanying 
the tablet. It "consists of the entire suit, with helmet, 
said to have been worn by the gallant knight, ' admiral and 
general,' during his last expedition, and it is attached to one 
of the columns of the church, together with his sword, 
spurs, gauntlets and pennons, now consisting of a few frag- 
ments only." 

The same article adds some details of interest in connec- 
tion with the opening of the Admiral's tomb for the burial 
of the last William Penn (grandson of Richard) in 1845. 
It says, " In September, 1845, the family vault was opened 
to admit the remains of a descendant, when it was found 
that the mahogany outer coffin was completely decayed, 

17 



230 The Family of William Penn. 

and the leaden one containing the Admiral had given way 
at the sides. Upon lifting the lid to have the sides properly 
secured, the cerecloth covering the body appeared quite 
perfect ; the face and hands, which had become of a brown 
color, were alone uncovered, and they were well preserved, 
the pointed Vandyke beard and mustaches remarkably so. 
The next day, the coffin, having been carefully repaired, was 
re-deposited in the vault." ^ 

THE PENN-LOWTHER MARRIAGE. 

In the record of the marriage licenses issued by the Arch- 
bishop of Canterbury there is this, February 12, 1666/7 : 

"Anthony Lowther, of Moske, co. York, Esq., Bacli', 24, and Mar- 
garet Pen, Sp', 15, dau of Sir William Pen, K', of St. Olave, Hart street, 
London, who consents ; at St. Olave's afsd. Barking, co. Essex, or Clap- 
ham, CO. Surrey." 

The marriage took place, as Pepys's Diary has already 
stated, February 14, two days after the issue of the license. 
Margaret was, it appears, but fifteen years old, the bride- 
groom being nine years her senior. 

penn's imprisonment in the tower. 

A very intelligent and careful inquiry into the imprison- 
ment of William Penn in the Tower of London in 1668/9 
was published in ArcJiceologia, London, Vol. XXXV. pp. 
72-90, it being a paper read, March 17, 1853, before the 
Society of Antiquaries, London, by John Bruce, Esq., treas- 
urer of the society. The value of the paper consists chiefly 
in its clear explanation of the manner of Penn's imprison- 
ment, and its citation of the minutes of several sittings of 
the Privy Council in which the case was considered. 

1 St. Mary RedclifFe, it may be worth noting, was the church under 
whose shadow the marvellous boy Chatterton was reared, and in whose 
"muniment room" he pretended to have found the old chest of manu- 
scripts, " Canynge's Cofter." 



The Family of William Penn» 231 

Mr. Bruce explains that the printing and publishing of 
books at the time Penn issued his " Sandy Foundation 
Shaken" were strictly regulated by the severe statute, 14 
Car. II., cap. 33. While it is true that this could not have 
been very rigidly enforced, since there are many books 
extant printed in the period after the law was enacted, with- 
out the license which it required, it was yet available for 
use when the authorities might choose to employ it. 

The minutes of the Privy Council show that Penn, upon 
search being made for the printer of his book, John Derby, 
came forward, avowed himself the author, and surrendered 
himself to Lord Arlington, principal Secretary of State, 
who, of his own authority,^ sent Penn a " close prisoner" 
to the Tower, and Derby to the Gate-House Prison. 

At the Council, Whitehall, December 16, 1668, the King 
present. Lord Arlington reported what he had done; his 
action was approved, and he was directed to give orders to 
continue Penn and Derby in confinement Two days later, 
at another council, a warrant was issued to the lieutenant 
of the Tower directing that Penn be kept a " close pris- 
oner" until the King's pleasure should be further signified, 
the warrant being signed by the Duke of Ormond, the 
Lord Chamberlain (Earl of Manchester), the Earl of Sand- 
wich, the Earl of Carbery, Lord Ashley, Lord Berkeley, 
and Sir John Trevor (Secretary of State). 

January 29, 1668/9, at a council, the petition of Joane 
Derby, wife of John Derby, the printer, was presented, 
asking his release on bail. It was ordered that he might 
enjoy such liberty of the prison as other prisoners had, but 
should still be kept in safe custody. May 7, 1669, the Council 
ordered him released. 

March 31, 1669, a petition of Sir William Penn was pre- 
sented to the Council in behalf of his son, and it was di- 
rected that the Bishop of London (Dr. Humphrey Hench- 
man, appointed to that see in 1663) should examine and 
judge of the " heretical views" in " The Sandy Foundation 

^ The statute does not seem to have been followed ; Mr. Bruce calls 
the proceedings " Star Chamber" througliout. 



232 The Family of William Penn. 

Shaken," and Sir John Robinson, the lieutenant of the 
Tower, should allow citations and processes issued by the 
Bishop to be served on Penn ; also, he should allow Penn, in 
charge of " a keeper and sufficient guard," to appear in the 
Bishop's consistory. 

The action taken by the Bishop, under this order, Mr. 
Bruce says, was to send Dr. Stillingfleet (afterwards Bishop) 
to visit the prisoner.' At any rate, at the Council, July 28, 
1669, about three months after the previous action, the 
King being present, his Majesty expressed himself as satis- 
fied by Dr. Stillingtleet's report, and by what Penn " hath 
since published" (the explanatory pamphlet, " Innocency 
with her Open Face"), that he was sensible of his former 
" error." Sir John Robinson was therefore ordered forth- 
with to set him at liberty and deliver him " to his father, 
Sir William Pen." 2 

THE SHANGARRY ESTATE. 

If we except Jordans graveyard, no other place seems 
more identified now with the Penn name than the old Irish 
estate of Shangarry. And this is in spite of the fact that 
the Founder, after the days of his youth, and his departure 
to Oxford, could have been there very little, while his 
descendants, other than William Penn, 3d, down to Thomas 
Penn-Gaskell, were hardly resident there at all. 

The Shangarry estate, as already mentioned, was divided 
at the conclusion of the long lawsuit between the heirs of 
Peter Gaskell and those of Alexander Durdin. The two 
portions remain in those families, the present Penn owner 
being Peter Penn-Gaskell. A curious feature of the di- 
vision is that the old castle from which the estate takes its 
name is on the Durdin portion. Possibly Admiral Penn, 
could he be witness to this consequence of the sixty days' 

^ Penn himself says that Stillingfleet came to see him " at the 
King's command." 

^ Mr. Bruce's paper is a fair and candid one, apparently with the 
disposition, if not the purpose, to show that Penn was not persecuted by 
the Bishop of London. 



The Family of William Penn. 233 

nominal marriage relation of his great-grandson's widow, 
would think it an unsatisfactory sequel to the schemes and 
ambitions by which Shangarry was acquired as a war grant 
by the favor of Protector and King. 

The Shangarry estates cover an area of about four miles 
by two miles (English). They lie on the extreme southern 
coast of Ireland, between Cork and Youghal ; ^ so close, 
indeed, to the Atlantic that a wide estuary in which the 
ocean tides ebb and flow is but three-fourths of a mile from 
the castle. The region is substantially a peninsula, the 
ocean on the south, Cork Harbor on the west, and the 
estuary already mentioned on the east nearly enclosing it. 
The place seems secluded and remote ; four miles northwest 
is the town of Cloyne, famous as the home for eighteen 
years (1734-1752) of Bishop Berkeley,^ and about five miles 
farther northwest is Midleton, a station and post-town on 
the Great Southern and Western Kail way ,^ which is the 
nearest point of access to the great outside world. 

The " Castle" (Shangarry = Celtic, old garden) is now a 
mere heap of ruins. It receives no notice in any of the 
descriptions — not even the minute studies of Mr. and Mrs. 
S. C. Hall — of the picturesque remains of the region, and 
the name Shangarry* will be sought in vain in gazetteers 
and local guide-books. There is, however, a village of 
Shangarry, this being on the Penn-Gaskell portion of the 
estate, and near by, " on a strip of land" which belongs to 

^ This is the region of Captain William Peun's naval operations, for 
the Parliament, in 1644 and later. 

^ The time of the Bishop's residence at Cloyne coincides pretty nearly 
with the period of William Penn, 3d's, residence at Cork and Shangarry, 
but I find no trace of their acquaintanceship. One would have thought 
that at least the invalid of Shangarry might have had the advantage of 
the Bishop's tar-water remedy, which at that particular period much 
occupied his attention. 

^ The place is the " middle town" on the road from Cork to Youghal. 
The Post-Office Department spells it with one d, — Midleton. 

^ The spelling used locally, and by Mr. Penn-Gaskell and others of 
my correspondents, is Shanagarry. I have followed, to avoid change, 
the spelling which seems to have been used originally, and which was 
therefore employed in the early part of this essay. 



234 The Family of William Penn. 

the Durdin owner, the ruins are. Immediately opposite 
them stands what formerly was Shangarry House, — " the 
House," — now altered into stables and offices, while a newer 
house (" built about 1841"), a " gentleman's residence" of 
the present century, has been erected " about five hundred 
yards farther back from the main road." ^ This main road 
leads from Midleton down through Cloyne, past Shangarry, 
to Ballycotton, on the ocean shore, — a seaside resort of some 
note. 

The old castle had a history beginning at least as early 
as the time of Elizabeth. In her reign it was suc- 
cessfully defended against her troops by the Earl of Des- 
mond. Walter Raleigh, at Youghal, was doubtless w^ell 
acquainted with the place. In 1641 it was held by the Irish 
for Charles, but was taken later by Parliamentary troops, 
and by Cromwell's order was dismantled. Maria Webb 
(" Penns and Peningtons") describes it (1867) as having 
then some attractiveness. It is, she says, " an ivy-covered 
ruin ; but its tall tower, rising above the bright green foliage, 
gives a commanding and picturesque air to the remains." 
A photograph of the ruins in 1898 makes this description 
quite unsuitable. The ruins appear to be of no great size, 
and to have hardly any architectural form remaining.^ 

A Roman Catholic chapel, built about 1830, stands near 
the castle ruins ; the Episcopal Protestant Church of Kil- 
mahon, of much older date, is also in the vicinity. About 
two miles southwest, and on the Shangarry estate, stands 
an old dwelling-house in tolerable repair, and still occupied 
as a residence, called " Sunville," and it was in this, the 

^ " It has always seemed to me a pity that the new House was ever 
built, the old one being so much more massive and solid, but its close 
proximity to the high road and the village was no doubt an objection." 
—Letter, 1898. 

^ I am indebted for the photograph and for information of value in 
this connection to the kindness of T. Wilson Strangman, whose house, 
" Kinoith," stands on the Penn-Gaskell portion of the Shangarry estate. 
(Kinoith, which, Celtic, means " The Place of Friendship," is, he states, 
" an old name revived, which has been applied to this district probably 
since the days of William Penn.") 



The Family of William Penn. 235 

" old people" of the neighborhood insist, that "William Penn 
lived when at Shangarry. 

By the will of Peter Penn-Gaskell, 2d (who died 1866), 
the Penn-Gaskell portion of the Shangarry estate was 
charged with payments of annuities, etc., in addition to an 
encumbrance which already lay upon it. The diminished 
values of Irish estates in recent years have borne heavily 
upon Shangarry, and the revenues from it are probably 
more than absorbed in the charges upon it. 

JOHN PENN's residence AT FEENS. 

Allusion is made at several places in this essay to the resi- 
dence of John Penn, " the American," at Feens, near Twy- 
ford, in Berks, and in a foot-note to Chapter IX., besides 
some other details, an extract is given from a letter wmtten 
by him to his servant, named Thomas Penn,^ directing him 
to get Feens read}- for occupancy. This letter was dated 
December 2, 1735, immediately after John's return to Eng- 
land from his Pennsylvania visit. To this, Thomas, who 
wrote a tolerable letter, though evidently a person of very 
limited education, replied, his letter undated, — 

"... I rec'd yours of y® 2d. I should have wrote sooner, had I any 
other news but y^ rejoicing of y® people for your safe landing, and their 
wishing for you a safe arrival here. . . . Hannah gives her duty, every 
evening the House hath a spy to watch your coming, for they are re- 
solved to make our church steaple rock for joy." 

John, it seems, lost no time in forming plans for spending 
his Christmas at Feens. Tom writes to him, December 9, 
thus :^ 

"Mr. Griffin is com to feens & hath begun packing up this day & 
sayeth he intends to clear y* hous y^ latter end of nexte weeke or soonor, 
if soonor I shall let you know. I have inquird for a man to shave, 

^ This Thomas Penn appears to have been a colored man, and he seems 
to have been advanced in years. In one of his letters to John Penn, 
1735, he says that if his " legs were as good as they once were" he would 
attend himself to some business that was under consideration. 

2 The letter is endorsed, " Black Tom's Letters, 1735." 



236 The Family of William Penn. 

write and waite at table, but can heare of none about. I have set Aran 

to work for 12d per day, small bear and loging, and finds himself till 

you com to feens. Hannah hath agreede with a maide, if you like. I 

have wrote to [name not plain] about a horse. Hannah sayeth there 

wants cover sheets, if youle please to send a pece of cloth she could 

make y" now shee hath time, please send word what provishhon you 

would have laid in. I believe I have planted Sallery a nuf. I have 

not yet seen any wine. . . . 

"T P 

" please to let me know when a ship sailes, for I muste send sum straw- 
berries and [word torn] roots or Mrs ^ will chide." 

Upon the same date as Tom's letter (and apparently in 
reply to it) John Penn writes to Tom. The letter is ad- 
dressed to him, " att Feens, near Maidenhead, Berks, pr 
JSIaidenhead bagg," and runs thus : 

" Honest Tom 

" I have rec'd yours I am sorry the gentleman has not Left the 
house. I desire you'l Gett 2 Leggs of Pork, & a Bullock or two of 
Beafe, as Soon as you Can to be Ready against Christmass, also 3 or 4 
good hen Turkeys, fouls, & Geese. I should be glad to know what youl 
want from Town that [I] may Send it Down, we shall want some Good 
hay & oats which pray gett for Shall have a Good Deal of Company 
down with me. As you cannot gett the Person that lived with Mr. 
Grifien, I believe Shall keep Sam, who Seems Better Since he has been 
on Shore ; hope you'll have Somebody in the Garden and stable by 
Xmass, & as we Shall want some person to go out a Shooting, perhaps 
Aaron may do, or if T. Skinner Could be gott for a few days. I could 
not Send wine Last week but Design you some on fryday p'' Waggon, 
wherefore desire you'l not be out of the Way. a Doz of Wood pidgeons 
Potted & Some Potted Beafe or Collard would be acceptable, also a hogs 
head in a Collar. . . ." 

Same to same, December 16, 1735 : 

"... I design to send down some Coals p' Rounds Barge with Sev- 
erall other things. I sent yesterday a hamper of Sugar, Tea, & Coffee, 
which hope came safe & that you Rec'd last week p^ Waggon a hhead 
of Red Wine. Youl have a pipe of Madeira Fryday, & a hogshead [of] 
fine Rum if it can be landed by that time." 

^ " Mrs." was evidently Margaret Freame, then in Pennsylvania. 
Letters from her, at Philadelphia, to Tom, on garden seeds, etc., are in 
the Penn collections. 



The Family of William Fenn. 237 

Tom to John Penn, December 19, 1735 : 

"Hon SR 

" Y® gentlemen left Feens yesterday, here is only one sarvant, we are 
washing scrubing and giting Every stoole in its place as you left it y' 
Nothing should appeare strange to you att your returne, but feare y^ 
rooms will scarce be dry and well air'd before Munday. please to send 
a line what you would please to have got for Supper or Dinner when 
you come, here will be potted befe, Collared ditto, hoggs hed brand 
[? brained] wood piggons potted and so forth. People would Meete you 
on y* rode to congratulate youre safe returne and conducte you to your 
old set did they but know ye day and way you would com 

" from your humble sv't 

"T P 

"feens, Fryday morning" 

THE GRAVESTONES OF JORDANS GROUND. 

The several rej9.ections upon the errors in the lettering 
placed upon the gravestones in the Friends' burial-ground 
at Jordans make it necessary now to state that these errors 
have been corrected. A letter from Joseph J. Green, the 
distinguished Quaker antiquarian and genealogist, October 
12, 1897, from Tunbridge Wells, England, says, referring 
first to the grave marked Letitia Penn, — 

" The stone is now correct, ' Letitia Aubrey,' as I have drawn the at- 
tention of the local monthly-meeting to these defects, and new stones 
are now put down where errors existed. The stone ' Mary Frame' has 
been taken up, or altered to ' Margaret Freame,' and I think also 
'Thomas Freame;' both are buried in one grave. The stone at John 
Penn's grave is also correctly marked." 

MARGARET FREAME AND HER FAMILY. 

A thorough examination of the Penn correspondence 
would yield much further information concerning Margaret 
Freame, daughter of the Founder, and her family. Her 
husband, Thomas Freame, was the son of Robert Freame, 
of London, " grocer," a Friend, who married Ann Vice, at 
the Friends' meeting at Bull and Mouth, March 21, 1694/5. 
This Robert Freame — who was apparently of a Gloucester- 
shire family; his father is described as "late of Cirences- 
ter"— had a brother John, " citizen and grocer," of Lorn- 



238 The Family of William Penn. 

bard Street, London, who, August 19, 1697, married, at the 
Friends' meeting at Devonshire House, Priscilla Gould. 
Priscilla Freame, daughter of the latter couple, married 
David Barclay, " citizen and draper," son of Robert Bar- 
clay, author of the " Apology," and brother, therefore, to 
Jean Forbes, the mother of Christian Forbes, who was the 
first wife of William Penn, 3d. Thus : 

FREAME. BARCLAY. 

Eobert, of London, Colonel David, 
" late of Cirencester." of Ury. 

, \ , I 

I I I 

Eobert, John, Eobert, of Ury, 

m. Ann Vice. m. Priscilla Gould. author " Apology." 



Thomas, Priscilla = David Jean, 

m. Margaret Penn. (banker, of m. Alexander Forbes. 

London). | 

Christian, 
m. William Penn, 3d. 

John Freame, who was " citizen and grocer" in 1697, 
formed later, with his son-in-law, David Barclay, the firm 
of Freame & Barclay, which became a very successful and 
quite important London banking-house. Numerous allu- 
sions have been made to them and to " Mr. Barclay" in 
the correspondence cited in this essay. David Barclay was 
a rich, respected, and influential citizen of London. His 
house " enjoyed a larger share of the confidence and trade 
of the mercantile community of Philadelphia, during the 
middle of the last century, than any other firm in Lon- 
don."^ The name of Freame appeared at the head of the 
firm until 1771 ; in 1775 that of Barclay was placed first, 
and has so remained. (The house has been made, within a 
few years, a company, under the name of Barclay & Com- 
pany, Limited.^) 

1 Prof. G. B. Keen in Penna. Mag., Vol. V. p. 96. 

^ Not unnaturally, the Friends gave a large patronage to Freame & 
Barclay. From at least as early as 1741 — probably earlier — the " stock" 
account of London Yearly Meeting [i.e., the general fund, contributed 
by the membership and sent up by the subordinate meetings) was 
banked with this house, and it so continues to be, 1898, a persistency of 



The Family of William Penn. 239 

Thomas Freame, the husband of Margaret Penn, was 
thus the cousin of Priscilla Barclay. The date of his mar- 
riage to Margaret Penn is definitely given in the Friends' 
records at London. It is thus, in brief: 

" Thomas Freame, citizen and grocer, of London, son of Robert, to 
Margaret Penn, dau. of William and Hannah, late of Ruscombe, 
county of Berks, at Hammersmith, 6th of 5th month [July], 1727." 

Thomas Freame came to Pennsylvania in advance of his 
wife. A letter from her brother, John Penn, dated at 
Feens, October 1, 1732, and addressed to his brother Thomas 
in Pennsylvania, says, — 

" My sister Freame & her little Boy are perfectly well, & Desire to be 
p'ticularly Remembered to you & my Brother Freame, whose letter She 
rec'd yesterday with great Pleasure. ... I desire to be Remembered to 
my Bro Freame, who I hope will be able to settle his affairs on Such a 
foot that he will be with us in the Spring." 

Thomas Freame probably did not, as here suggested by 
John Penn, return to England in the spring of 1733 ; he 
stayed for several years in Pennsylvania. His wife and the 
" little Boy," Thomas, Jr., came over with John Penn to 
Philadelphia in 1734, and remained here until 1741, when 
they accompanied Thomas Penn on his return to England. 
Thomas Penn's letter (already cited) to Richard Hockley, 
written upon landing in England, speaks of " my sister 
and her children" as then with him, — the term " children" 
being explained by the birth in Philadelphia, in 1740, 
of her daughter, Philadelphia Hannah Freame, afterwards 
Lady Cremorne. 

After John had returned to England, in 1735, Margaret 
wrote numerous letters to him. One or two of these have 
been cited. Letters also from her husband, from the little 
boy, and from Thomas Penn, referring to the Freames, — all 
addressed to John, — are preserved. They throw light on 

business relations certainly not often occurring. "As early as 1736," 
says my valued friend, Isaac Sharp, of London, " I find mention of a 
loan from Freame & Barclay," for Friends' account. 



240 The Family of William Penn. 

the family relations, and are of interest besides. I cite some 
below. 

One from Thomas Freame to John Penn, from Phila- 
delphia, October 6, 1735 : 

"... My fever continued a week after you went, w*''out the Doctors 
being able to Turn it. at Last be got it to intermit, & then plyed me 
Close w"' y*^ Bark w*"^ has quite conquered the distemper. I want nothing 
now but to gain Strength w"^ will come by degrees. Yesterday I went 
out w"" Peggy & Little Tom in y^ Chariot. I was glad to hear you got 
to Sea so soon, we were afraid you wo* have been windbound a week 
longer." 

Margaret Freame to John Penn, from Philadelphia, ISTo- 
vember 20, 1735 : 

" The Governour [Gordon] is but Very poorly, and in my Opinion is 
not likely to hold it Long, the rest of our Acquaintance are Pretty 
Well, as We all are here, tho its cold Weather & We begin to freese by 
the fireside. I forgot to tell you we have Lost Poor Miss Bettey Gordon, 
who was Ship't of for Scotland about 3 weeks ago attended by only a 
little Black Girl and no womenkind besides themselves on bord, I think 
to the shame of the Governour's Family. Since your departure I have 
been Very little abroad, Except in the garden, which is my Chief amuse- 
ment. What there I view I am sure is Natural and Sincere. . . . 

" Mr. Freame is not yet well enough to go up and dispose of his land, 
but hope he will soon ; as to the Brewhouse I believe it would turn out 
Very well, yet Mr. Norris is so much in the Country my Brother has 
advis'd my Husband, if he could part with it on good terms to do it . . . 
little Tom is very Well, has rode as far as Cousin Ashton's today, Since 
which he has wrot you a letter, Without any help, and I hope he will 
come to write pretty well, he is often setting out to Feen's, and desires 
his love to Black Tom and Hannah, Farmer Dell, and all the Neighbors, 
to whom mine also, if att any time you should send anything from 
Feen's here pray don't forget a few Horse beans. I should be glad to 
know if your Limes kept over good & if the Cranberrys I sent Sisters 
Aubrey and Jackson, or which was best, one being Se [torn] in water 
and one without. I have sent you a few Water Mellon seeds, which if 
not good to eat will make fine Mangos, also some Indian corn that will 
be ripe in three months. Hope you will have some good roasting 

GoixS* • • • 

The letter from the little boy, Thomas Freame, Jr., to his 
uncle, John Penn, alluded to in the letter above as pre- 



The Family of William Penn. 241 

pared " without any help," is in a childish hand, and runs 
as follows : 

"Dear Uncle 

" I think in Duty I ought to wait on you w"* my first Letter, which I 
hope will plead excuse for all faults. I remember what you told me, 
and write or go to school every day. I am very much obliged to you for 
your kind present of tickets, and hope I shall have good success. Pray 
give my duty to Uncle and Aunt Penn, and all my cousins. My love to 
Mr. Philops, Mr, Service, and Farmer Dell, with all my friends. So 
conclude. Dear uncle 

" Your aifec' nep 

"Thomas Freame 

" Phil No'>' 21 1735" 

A few days later, December 8, 1735, Thomas Freame 
wrote John Penn, a passage in the letter being as follows : 

" We have no material news worth Sending unless of y^ melancholly 
state the Governour [Gordonl is in. His distemper at times seizes him 
in such a manner that it is my opinion He cannot get over it. He is 
reduced very much and is exceeding weak, Tho' still heart whole, and at 
times very cheerfull." 

Margaret Freame to John Penn, from Philadelphia, 
March 21, 1735/6 : 

"... The Governour, who was so bad when I last Wrot I thought he 
could not Live one week is now as Well as ever he was. what cur'd him 
of his Lax was so fine a Receipt I think for the good of Mankind it 
should be known. — take a handfull of the Raspings of Logwood, and 
Poure Boiling water on it, let it infuse by the fire till it Look of a deep 
Red, Drink a teacup of this two or three times a day, and att night 
going to bed. — 

" We have had a very hard Winter, no appearance of Spring yet, but 
Cold hard frosts so that little busness could be done. Mr. Freame talks 
of going into the country next week." 

Several letters from Thomas Freame to John Penn, from 
Philadelphia, in 1736, disclose that the latter thought the 
little boy should be sent back to England, in order to be 
suitably educated, but that his parents felt unwilling to part 
with him. His father earnestly assured John of the suf- 



242 The Family of William Penn. 

ficiency of the educational opportunities in Philadelphia, 
and of the boy's studious efforts.^ 

Other letters from Margaret to John discuss the pro- 
priety of appointing Thomas Penn to be Governor on Major 
Gordon's death, and the appointment of Thomas Freame to 
be naval officer. Margaret seemed to think that John did 
not fairly weigh the propriety of Thomas's elevation. Other 
letters, some of which are cited below, refer to domestic 
and other matters. 

Margaret Freame to John Penn, from Philadelphia, De- 
cember 10, 1736 : 

"... [I] find Bro : Tom sent you word of our att last consenting to 
have him [Thomas Freame, Jr.] inoculated. The small-j^ox has and 
doth rage Very much in this Citty, Numbers of Persons Dying of it. at 
last seeing it Prove so fatal in the Common way, that by a computa- 
tion one dy'd in four, and not one in fifty by inoculation, Mr. Till con- 
cluded to have his wife and his 2 children, Mr. Taylor his little Boy, and 
divers others that has succeeded very well. Poor Tom had it full, but 
is now, I thank God Bravely recover'd, they are all turn'd, and most 
shell'd oflF. he begins to call for a Cook instead of a Doctor, he bore 
it all with much Patience. Doctor Dover's Regimen is drink coole 
tankard and small beer, but no Gascoin's powders or Slops. Loyd Zac- 
ray was his Doctor, who if he was his own child could not have more 
tenderly attended him. . . . Poor Mr. Allen has lost his only Son in 
this fatal Distemper, and too many in this Citty are under the same 
Aifliction ; the Church bell is not suffer'd to ring but once for six 
[deaths] and it has rung twice a day sometimes. I hope the Cold 
Weather will Put a Stop to this Contagion." 

Margaret Freame to John Penn, from Philadelphia, April 
18, 1737: 

" Mr. fishborn's Son, who came from London by way of Maryland 
arriv'd here yesterday, having a Passage of thirty Days, brings little 
news (and no letters) but that Cousin Will™ Penn is married to Docf 
Vaux's Daughter. Could I wonder at his Conduct in anything I should 
that his Pride should stoop so low." 

The service of Thomas Freame as captain of one of the 
companies raised at Philadelphia in 1740 for the expedi- 

^ Some interesting details are given in the letters of the system of 
education in that day. 



The Family of William Fenn. 243 

tion under Admiral Vernon, which made a futile attack on 
Carthagena in 1741, has been mentioned. In a letter, Sep- 
tember 10, 1740, from Thomas Penn at Philadelphia to 
Ferdinand John Paris (legal adviser of the Penns) at Lon- 
don, this passage occurs : 

" You will find the scheme for raising men in America has had a very 
good effect, and I believe about 4600 will be carried from these Colonys ; 
and though this Province cannot furnish the number my Lord Monson 
proposed, yet the eight companys are a considerable number, and are 
now compleat. Mr. Freame has turned soldier and has the command 
of one. We have eight ships ready for their imbarkation, and they are 
to go on Board in a few days." 

WORMINGHURST. 

The derivation and disposition of the "Worminghurst 
estate have been variously alluded to in different works 
relating to Penn. His own letters, already cited, show that 
it was sold in the autumn of 1707, and that William Penn, 
Jr., was a party to the sale. The purchaser was a Squire 
Butler, and the property remained in his family until 1789, 
when it was allotted to Ann Jemima Clough,^ wife of Roger 
Clough, and by her it was sold in 1805 to Charles, Duke of 
Norfolk. 

The house in which William Penn lived appears to have 
been torn down by Squire Butler. (The tradition is that 
he " expressed the determination not to leave a trace of the 
old Quaker.") He built on its site, it is said, not long after 
his purchase, a large brick mansion, " and enclosed a con- 
siderable part of the parish in a deer park." But this man- 
sion was itself pulled down by the Duke of Norfolk, " the 
lake dried up, the timber leveled, and the park converted 
into a farm. A Spanish chestnut tree of great magnitude, 
the last remains of the former grandeur of the place, was 
grubbed up in the year 1825 ; it measured, six feet from the 
ground, twenty-nine feet in circumference." - 

^ She is called the " eldest daughter" of Butler, but with the separa- 
tion of eighty -two years this appears rather unlikely. 

^ Paragraphs cited in Marsh's " Early Friends in Surrey and Sus- 



sex." 



244 The Family of William Penn. 

Worminshurst stood in view of "the South Downs." It 
was four miles south of the Friends' meeting-house in 
Thakeham Parish, and five and a half miles northwest of 
the meeting-house at Steyning." ^ 

WILLIAM PENN, JR.'S, MARRIAGE SETTLEMENT. 

The marriage settlement made upon the occasion of 
William Penn, Jr.'s, marriage in 1698 was deposited later, 
apparently, with Messrs. Freame and Barclay, and in July 
last (1898), a little more than two centuries after its making, 
the document was handed over by the representatives of the 
late Joseph Gurney Barclay, of London, to be deposited in 
the Penn Papers Collection of the Friends at Devonshire 
House. It is an " indenture quadripartite," and endorsed : 
" Mr. Penn, his settlement on his sonn's intermarriage with 
Mrs. Mary Jones." The signers are William Penn, Laetitia 
Penn, William Penn, Jr., Mary Jones, Charles Jones, Jr., 
and [Nathaniel Wade. 

PENN MARRIAGES IN HORSHAM RECORDS. 

The proceedings in the Friends' meeting prior to Penn's 
marriage with Hannah Callowhill are partly recorded in the 
minutes of Horsham Monthly Meeting, in Sussex. These 
show, January, 1695/6, that " William Penn, of Worming- 
hurst, Sussex, did the first time Declare his Intentions of 
taking Hannah Callowhill, of the City of Bristol, to be his 
wife," and that Thomas Wright and five others were ap- 
pointed " to enquire concerning his Clearness on the Account 
of Marriage." Next month these Friends " Did signifie 
that they find nothing but that he is very cleare in that 
matter, soe this meeting hath ordred a Certificate to be sent 
to the Friends of the City of Bristol to which the said 
Hannah Callowhill doth belong." 

At Horsham Monthly Meeting also, in July, 1702, " Wil- 
liam Aubrey, of White Lyon Courte, in Cornhill, London, 
Marchant, and Leatitia Penn, of Wormenghurst, in Sussex, 

^ Marsh's " Early Friends in Surrey and Sussex." 



The Family of William Penn. 245 

Did the first time Declare their Intentions of taking each 
other to be husband and wife. The said "William brought 
a Certificate from his father, giveing his free Consent under 
his hand, and the said Leatitia's father being present gave 
his free Consent. Also the said William Aubry produced 
a Certificat from the Two weeks meeting in London, sig- 
nifying his Clearnes from all others relateing to marriage, 
allso Leatitia produced a Certificat from Friends in Pensil- 
vania Signifying her Clearnes on that Accounte." ^ 

THE FELL BRANCH. 

The mention in Chapter VIII. of Gulielma Maria Penn, 
daughter of William Penn, Jr., who became the wife of 
Aubrey (Awbrey?) Thomas, and of Charles Fell, is inade- 
quate and not strictly accurate. By her first marriage she 
had one son, William Penn Thomas, who survived her, and 
died unmarried about 1742. The following family record, 
furnished by Gilbert Cope, is derived (he thinks) from a 
certified copy of a parish register : 

" Gulielma Maria Fell, d. 17 Jan., 1739/40. 

" Charles Fell, her (2nd) husband, d. 1 Oct., 1748. 

[Children of the above :] 
" Mary Margaretta, bapt. 23 Aug., 1724. 
" Gulielma Maria Frances, bapt. 10 Aug., 1725. 
" Kobert Edward, bapt. 29 Nov., 1726." 

There are numerous deeds, etc., made by and on behalf 
of these children of Charles and Gulielma Maria (Penn) 
Fell, on record, which clearly explain many points in the 
family account. In 1770 Robert Edward Fell was in Phila- 
delphia attending to their interests and engaged in the sale 
of their real property. In a deed. May 10, 1770, by him to 
Timothy Hurst, of New York, merchant, for a lot on South 
Street, Philadelphia, for fifty-four pounds purchase-money, 
a power of attorney to him (Fell), dated in March, 1769, 

^ Entries cited in " Some Records of the Early Friends in Surrey and 
Sussex," by Thomas W. and Anne W. Marsh. London, 1886. 

18 



246 The Family of William Penn. 

from his sister, Gulielma Maria Frances Newcomb, " of 
Shrewsbury, co. Salop, Great Britain, widow," is recited, 
she being " one of the daughters of Gulielma Maria Fell, 
deceased, who was the daughter of William Penn, Jr., 
deceased." The deed is " by Robert Edward Fell, now 
residing in the City of Philadelphia, Esquire." Another 
deed. May 10, 1770, same to same, for one-eighth interest 
in a lot on South Street, price three thousand pounds, 
describes R. E. Fell as the " eldest son" of Gulielma Maria 
Fell, deceased.^ 

A Pennsylvania land warrant, dated October 21, 1774, 
signed by (Governor) John Penn, in favor of Timothy 
Hurst, of New York, merchant, and John Barron and 
Israel Morris, of Philadelphia, for twelve hundred and fifty 
acres of land in any part of the Province, states in its 
extended recitals much of the family record of the Fell 
branch, the essential facts of which have been given. The 
origin of the title to the twelve hundred and fifty acres lay 
in the trust grant (lease and release) made by William 
Penn to Sir John Fagg, September 4 and 5, 1682, for fifty 
thousand acres, one-half being for the use of William Penn, 
Jr.^ By a lease and release in 1731, Thomas and Richard 
Penn confirmed unto William Penn, 3d, five thousand 
acres, part of the fifty thousand; and this tract William 

^ He was her eldest son, but her third child. 

^ Concerning this grant, and " Fagg's Manor," Gilbert Cope writes 

me, — 

"West Chestek, Pa., 7, 20, 1898. 

"While the subject is fresh, I will remark that the foot-note [p. 219, 
Chapter XII.] does not present the subject of ' Fagg's Manor' in the 
best light. 

" In right of the deed of trust to Sir John Fagg a survey was made 

on about 30,000 acres, including all of the present township of New 

Garden and most of Kennett, with much land in New Castle County. 

This was divided between William and Letitia, and formed the two 

manors of Stening (or Stansing, as given in Letitia's patent). Two 

other tracts were surveyed to the westward of these, one for William 

and one for Letitia, and it was to the latter that the distinctive term, 

Fagg's Manor, was applied. That of William, Jr., was called Penn's 

Manor to some extent. 

G. C 



The Family of William Penn. 247 

Penn, 3cl, sold in 1742 to William Allen, of Philadelphia. 
The recital proceeds that one-fourth of the five thousand 
acres belonged to the sister of William Penn, 3d, Gulielma 
Maria Fell, who afterwards died intestate in the lifetime of 
her husband, leaving issue by her first husband, Aubrey 
Thomas, one son, William Penn Thomas, and by her 
second husband, Charles Fell, three children, Robert Ed- 
ward, Mary Margaretta (Barron), and Gulielma Maria 
Frances (Newcomb). It is further particularly mentioned 
that William Penn Thomas died intestate without issue in 
the lifetime of Charles Fell. 

A lease and release, February, 1768, the parties being 
John Barron, " of York Buildings, in the county of Middle- 
sex, gentleman," and Mary Margaretta, his wife, of one 
part, and Robert Crispin, " of Chancery Lane, in said 
county, gentleman," of the other, recites that Mary Mar- 
garetta is one of the survino; children of Charles Fell and 
Gulielma Maria Penn. A deed of later date is by Barron, 
then " of Philadelphia," to Charles Hurst, of the same city, 
gentleman, and recites that Barron, "in company with" 
Hurst, " is entitled to sundry lands, warrants, and rights in 
Pennsylvania, and especially to certain 5,000 acres in right 
of William and Gulielma Maria Penn, . . . under which last 
they have located and caused to be surveyed several tracts 
of land." Barron conveys all his interest in the five thousand 
acres to Hurst for five hundred pounds. 

A letter in the Penn collections of the Historical So- 
ciety of Pennsylvania, from Charles Fell to John Penn, is 
dated January 8, 1739/40. The writer speaks of his wife 
as then very ill. She is in care of Dr. Dover, and can 
only take " thin caudle through the spout of a teapot." 
The letter gives no place of address, but appears from 
later allusions to have been written from Westminster. 
Other letters immediately following disclose a pathetic 
story. 

Same to same, Thursday, January 17, 1789/40 : 

" This morning at one o'clock my Dearest Guly left me for ever. . . . 
begg the continuance of yo' Friendship to me and her Children." 



248 The Family of William Penn. 

Same to same, January 22, 1739/40 : 

" My poor Dear Guly is this night to be buried in a private but as 
decent a manner as I am able in a Vault in Saint Margaret's Church, 
Westminster." 

Same to same, January 29, 1739/40 : 

"... I am most unhappy, left greatly in debt, and am oblig'd to 
dispose of all my Goods, w*"" will be sold next Thursday, to satisfy 
as many as the poor amount of them will come to, but what to do 
afterwards God only knows. My poor Dear Girls are gone this day 
w*** their Grandmother^ to Hampton Court, in order to have their 
Cloaths a little righted up before they go to a School w"* she has recom- 
mended. [The little boy, he adds, is taken by one of the ushers of 
Westminster School to board with him. The writer himself has taken 
a sleeping-room at the coffee-house ; he is very anxious for some em- 
ployment.]" 

A Fell pedigree is given in Quakeriana (London), June, 
1895. It describes Charles Fell as " an officer in the army," 
and says he died, 1748, " at Windsor." It gives some further 
data concerning his (and Gulielma Maria Penn's) children, 
adding the name of a fourth, who " died young." 

1. Mary Margaretta, married John Barron, of Leeds, co. 
Yorii, afterwards of Philadelphia, and died 1769. 

2. Gulielma Maria Frances, married John Newcombe, of 
Leir, co. Leicester, and had issue : Gulielma Maria, Susanna 
Margaretta, Philadelphia (married Thomas Brookholding), 
John Springett, William Hawkins. 

3. Robert Edward, a lieutenant-colonel in the army. 

4. Springett, died young. 

The assumption that this line of descent from William 
Penn is extinct has been mentioned ; if there are any de- 
scendants living, they appear to be from John Newcombe 
and his wife. 

^ This must have been Charles Fell's mother, as Mary Penn, widow 
of William Penn, Jr., and mother of Gulielma Maria Fell, had died in 
1733. 



The Family of William Penn. 249 

TABLE: FELL BRANCH PENN FAMILY. 

Judge Thomas Fell, 

of Swarthmoor. Admiral William Penn. 

, I , I 



George Fell, William Penn, Founder. 

Charles Fell. William Penn, Junior. 

' ^1 I ' 

Charles Fell = Gulielma Maria Penn 

(widow of Aubrey Thomas). 



1 \ \ I 

Mary Margaretta, Gulielma Maria Frances, Robt. Edward, d. s.p. 

?«. John Barron, to. John Newcombe. Springett, cZ. s. ^. 

s. p. I 

Gulielma Maria. 

Susanna Margaretta. 

Philadelphia, to. Thomas Brookholding. 

John Springett. 

William Hawkins. 

MAJOR STUART, OF TEMPSFORD HALL. 

Major William Dugald Stuart, now the representative of 
his line of the family descended from the Founder's second 
marriage, the present owner of all the general estate in 
Pennsylvania of the Penn family, visited that State in 1894, 
and again in 1898. Some farther facts concerning him 
should be added. Though educated at Eton, he did not go 
(as stated in Chapter X.) to St. John's College, Cambridge, 
nor is he a barrister-at-law of the Inner Temple. 

He entered the British army as second lieutenant in the 
King's Royal Rifles, June 23, 1880. He was promoted to 
lieutenant July 1, 1881, and captain November 13, 1889. 
In 1891 he served with the Manipore expedition in Burmah 
against the Dacoits (for which he received a medal and 
clasp), and subsequently in the expedition against the Chins 
and Lushais, in Upper Burmah. He continued serving in 
India until 1893, when he was placed on the Reserve of 
Officers. He is now (1898) major in the Third (Militia) 
Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment. He married Milli- 
cent Helen Olivia Bulkeley-Hughes, and has issue one son, 
William Esme Montague. 

At Tempsford Hall, among the " interesting family relics" 



250 The Family of William Penn. 

alluded to in Chapter X., Major Stuart has the gold chain 
and medal of Admiral Penn, voted him by the Naval Coun- 
cil in August, 1653. He also has the walking-stafi which 
King Charles I. carried to the scaffold, and handed, just 
before his execution, to Bishop Juxon, who accompanied 
him. The Bishop presented the staff afterwards to William 
Penn the Founder, and it has thus descended to Major 
Stuart. 

OTHER FAMILIES NAMED PENN. 

There are evidently a number of persons in the United 
States and elsewhere, named Penn, who believe themselves 
connected with the family of William Penn the Founder, if 
not directly descended from him. So far as the record evi- 
dence goes, his living descendants appear to be in the three 
lines stated in the preceding chapters of this essay : 

1. The line from Peter Gaskell and Christiana Gulielma 
Penn, daughter of William Penn, 3d. 

2. The line from Archbishop William Stuart and Sophia 
Penn, daughter of Thomas Penn, represented by Major 
William Dugald Stuart. 

3. The line from the same parentage as No. 2, repre- 
sented by the Earl of Ranfurly. 

Except through the adoption of the additional name Penn 
by the Gaskell branch, no living person named Penn, so far 
as appears, is a descendant of William Penn the Founder. 

An example of many curious and also interesting in- 
quiries made by persons who believe themselves descended 
from William Penn or his father is afforded by the following 
letter, addressed " To the Chief Justice of Pennsylvania" : 

" Virgin Islands, Toetola, April 11, 1871. 
"HONOEABLE SiR, 

"I herewith respectfully beg your kind attention to the following 
facts, hoping you will not consider it taking too great liberty &c. that 
you will do me the favor of causing an answer to be sent to me. 

" I am a native of these Islands and a descendant of the brother of 
the celebrated William Penn of Pennsylvania, which brother settled in 
these Islands some time in the eighteenth century. I cannot be certain 
as to the exact date by reason of the frequent hurricanes in these Islands, 
as all old papers have been destroyed. 



The Family of William Perm. 251 

" My object for writing to you sir, is to request that you will cause 
inquiry to be made as to one Richard Penn who is stated to have died 
last year, & who was the last descendant of the celebrated Quaker, & 
that he also left large property, both in specie & land, & that in the 
event of no descendant of the Penn family such property will revert to 
the Government of the United States, & if such is the case I will most 
respectfully request that you will communicate with me and I will be 
ready to pay any expenses attendant thereon as also to prove my descent 
before the proper authorities in these islands. 
" I have the honor to be 

" Honble Sir 

" Your most obdt. Servt, 

"Wm. Benjamin Penn." 

This letter was delivered to Justice James Thompson, 
then Chief-Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 
who forwarded it to William Henry Rawle, of Philadelphia, 
who was counsel for the Penn heirs. May 1, 1871, Mr. 
Rawle wrote William Benjamin Penn, stating the facts of 
the case, explaining the devolution of the estate, and the 
vesting of it in William Stuart, then owner, and nothing 
further appears to have been heard from the writer of the 
letter. 

SUNDRY NOTES. 

The old farm-house. King's Farm, Chorley Wood, where 
William Penn and Gulielma Maria Springett were married, 
is still standing, 1898. 

It is the tradition, Joseph J. Green says, that Gulielma 
Maria Penn, wife of the Founder, died at Rawdon House, 
at Hoddesdon, Herts. This was the seat of Marmaduke 
Rawdon, Esquire. The old mansion is still standing. That 
she died at Hoddesdon has been already definitely stated, 
and it may have been at Rawdon House. 

Referring to Dennis Penn's birth at Ealing, J. J. Green 
thinks it probable that this event occurred at the Manor 
House, Ealing, the then residence of John Wilmer, a 
Friend. John Wilraer's daughter Grizel married Jonathan 
Gurnell, William Penn being present at the marriage. 
(Jonathan Gurnell is repeatedly referred to in the chapter 
on the family life at Ruscombe during the closing years of 
William Penn's life.) 



252 



The Family of William Penn. 



An obituary notice from a periodical of the time gives the 
death of the widow of Governor John Penn, Ann Masters : 

" July 4, 1830, in Upper George Street [London] Anne, relict of John 
Penn, formerly Governor of Pennsylvania." 

Richard Dawson, Earl of Dartrey, great-nephew of Baron 
Cremorne, who married Philadelphia Hannah Freame, 
died 1897, aged eighty years. He was succeeded in the 
peerage by his son, Lord Cremorne, who was formerly an 
officer of the Coldstream Guards, and sat as a Liberal in 
Parliament for Monaghan, 1865-68. "The family," a 
newspaper paragraph says, " is one of the great landlords of 
the United Kingdom, owning about 30,000 acres." 



CHILDEEN OF WILLIAM PENN THE FOUNDEE. 

BY FIRST "WIFE, GULIELMA MARIA SPRINGETT. 



\/ 





BOEN. 


Died. 


BUEIED. 


Married. 


1. Gulielma Maria. 


Jan. 23, 1672/3. 


Mar. 17, 1672/3. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 


2. William. 


Feb. 28, 1673/4. 


May 15, 1674. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 


3. Mary (? Margaret). 


Feb. 28, 1673/4. 


Feb. 24, 1674/5. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 


4. Springett. 


Jan. 25, 1675. 


April 10. 1696. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 


5. Letitia, m. William 
Aubrey, s. p. 


Mar. 6, 1678. 


April — , 1746. 


Jordans. 


Aug. 20, 1702. 


6. William, Jr., m. Mary 
Jones (issue, three 
children). 


Mar. 14, 1680. 


June 23, 1720. 


? Li^ge. 


Jan. 12, 1698/9. 


7. Gulielma Maria. 


Nov. 17, 1685. 


Nov. 20, 1689. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 



BY SECOND "WIFE, HANKAH CALLOWHILL. 



8. John. 


Jan. 29, 1699/1700. 


Oct. 25, 1746. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 


-., ^9. Thomas, m. Lady J. 


Mar. 9, 1701/2. 


Mar. 21, 1775. 


Stoke. 


Aug. 22, 1751. 


/. Fermor (issue, 
eight children). 








. 


10. Hannah Margarita. 


July 30, 1703. 


Feb. 5, 1707/8. 


Bristol. 


D. unmarried. 


11. Margaret, m. Thomas 
Freame (issue, two 
children). 


Nov. 7, 1704. 


Feb. — , 1750/1. 


Jordans. 


July 6, 1727. 
t 


/l2. Richard, m. Hannah 
[J'' Lardner (issue, 
four children). 


Jan. 17, 1705/6. 


Feb. 4, 1771. 


Stoke. 


, 1728. 


13. Dennis. 


Feb. 26, 1706/7. 


Jan. 6, 1722/3. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 


14. Hannah. 


Sept. 5, 1708. 


Jan. 24, 1708/9. 


Jordans. 


D. unmarried. 



INDEX. 



Aldenham Abbey, 173 
Allen, Andrew, 189 

Ann (Penn), 188, 192, 252 

James, 188, 189, 190 

John, 188 

William, Chief-Justice, 188, 247 
Allhallows, Church of, 30, 31 
Amersham, 48, 49, 52 
Anderson, Rev. B., 75, 86 
" Aquorthies," 207 
Arlington, Lord, 39, 231 
Arnold, Samuel, 96, 98 
Arran, Lord, 39, 42 
Ashton, Robert, 65, 125, 126, 240 
" Ashwood," 222, 223, 227, 228 
Aubrey, Eleanor (Clark), 65 

Letitia. iS'ee Letitia Penn 

Thomas, 100 

William, 61, 64, 66, 67, 81, 92, 244 

Baker, Juliana. See Juliana Penn 

Juliana (Rawlins), 151, 154 

William, 151, 153, 154 
Balabrega, Catharine Julia (Penn), 199 
Barclay, Catharine, 207 

Colonel David, 207, 208 

David, 143, 238 

family, 238 

Jean (Forbes), 207, 238 

John, 128, 137, 143 

Joseph Gurney, 244 

Priscilla. .S'ee Priscilla Freame 

Robert, 143, 207 
Barron, John, 66, 220, 246, 247 

Mary Margaretta. See M. M. Fell 
Batten, Sir William, 19, 23, 24 
Bell, Daniel, 74, 80, 208 
Berkeley, Bishop, 233 

John, Lord, 42, 231 
Besse, Joseph, 43, 85, 108, 207 
Bevan, Joseph Gurney, 208 

Sylvanus, 79 
Blackfan, Rebecca, 25» 46, 103, 177 
" Blackwell Grange," 28, 39 
Boult, Joseph, 92, 95, 9(5, 97, 191 
Boundary Case, 77, 79, 177 
Bradon Forest, 6, 8 
Bradshaw, James, 9 

John, 9 
Brookholding, Thomas, 127, 248 
Bruce, John, 230, 231, 232 
" Bull and Mouth," 60, 237 
Bunhill Fields, 95 
" Bury House," 48 
'Bush Hill," 134, 184, 188 



Bute, John, 3d Earl of, 171 
Butler, Squire, 119, 243 
Butterfield, Abraham, 74 

Prince, 75, 86 

Rebekah, 52, 74, 77, 80, 86, 126, 
208 

Cadwalader, Thomas, 161, 162 
Callowhill, Hannah. iS'ee Hannah Penn 

John, 67 

Thomas, 67, 77, 83, 86 
Carpenter, Samuel, 61, 111 
Cavendish, Lady Elizabeth, 25, A& 
" Chalfont Grange," 48, 49, 60, 52 

St. Peter's, 48, 49 
Charles I., 48, 141, 146 
Charles II., 34, 44, 49 
Charlton, Thomas, 219 
Chigwell, 31 

Chorley Wood, 53, 54, 66, 251 
Christ Church College, 34 
Christ Church, Philadelphia, 32; Spital- 

fields, 65 
Clancarty, Earl of. See Macarthy 
Clark, Eleanor. iS'ee Eleanor Aubrey 
Clarkson, Thomas, 7, 18, 47, 67, 68 
Clayton, Hannah. See Hannah Penn 

James, 181 
Clement, Mary. iS'ee Mary Hollister 

Simon, 68, 85, 89, 120, 124 

Walter, 150 
Coale, Josiah, 37, 40 
Coates, Harold Penn-Gaskell, 225 

Dr. Isaac T., 225 

Mary. See Mary Penn-Gaskell 
Cobham, Ann, Viscountess, 146 
Coke, Sir Edward, 146, 160, 161 
Coleman's " Pedigree," 5, 8, 69, 80 
Conventicle Act, 43 
Cope, Gilbert, 245 
Cornbury, Lord, 116 
Cox, James, 182, 184, 188 
Cremorne Gardens, 80 
Cremorne, Lady. .S'ee Philadelphia Han- 
nah Freame 

Lord, 252 

Thomas, Viscount, 80, 142, 169 
Cromwell, Oliver, 11, 25,234 
"Crowell," 50 



DaCosta, Dr. J. M., 223 

Dartrey, Baron. ,S'ec Thomas Dawson 

Earl of. >S'ee Richard Dawson 
David, Rev. Hugh, 2, 133 
Dawson, Richard, Earl of Dartrey, 80, 252 

19 253 



254 



Index. 



Dawson, Thomas, Baron Dartrey, 80, 87 
Desmond, Earl of, 2U 
Devonshire House, 66, 238, 244 
Dickinson, Jonathan, 114, 115, 116, 125 
Dixon, Hepworth, 16, 33, 36, 40. 41, 44, 

45, 47, 51, 69, 119 
Dorsey, Anna (Slcillern), 224 
Dungannon Park, 174 
Durdin, Alexander, 216, 217, 218, 232 

Ealing, 77, 87, 251 
Edgeworth, Maria, 171, 172 
Edwards, Edward, 220 

Elizabeth (Penn-Gaskell). 222 

Nathan, 222 
Elizabeth, Queen of England, 146 
Ellwood, Thomas, 47, 50, 51, 52 
Evans, John, Gov., 110, 113, 115, 116 

Fagg, Sir John, 65, 219, 220, 246 

Fagge, Anne, 54, 220 

Fagg's Manor, 219, 246 

" Feens," 74, 106, 138, 235, 236, 237, 240 

Fell Branch, The, 245, 249 

Charles (grandson of Judge Fell), 127, 

249 
Charles (great-grandson of Judge Fell), 

127, 245, 248, 249 
George, 127, 249 
Gulielma Maria. See Gulielma Maria 

Penn 
Gulielma Maria Frances (Newcombe), 

66, 128, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249 
Judge (of Swarthmoor Hall), 43, 127, 

249 
Margaret (Fox), 43, 67 
Mary Margaretta (Barron), 66, 128, 

245, 247, 248, 249 
Robert Edward, 66, 127, 245, 246, 247, 

248, 249 
Sarah (Mead), 43 
Springett, 248, 249 
Fermor family, 141, 142 

Lady Juliana (wife of Thomas Penn), 
139, 140, 141, 153, 155, 189 
Fire of London, Great, 27, 31, 90 
Fisher, Miers, 220 

Fitzgerald, Louisa. See Louisa Penn- 
Gaskell 
William Gerald, 224 
Forbes, Alexander, 131, 207, 209 
Alexander, Jr., 207 
Christian (Penn), 137, 204, 207, 208, 238 
General Gordon, 165 
Isabella (Penn), 165 
Jean. See Jean Barclay 
Fothersrill, Dr. John, 90 
Fox, George, 37, 43, 44, 48, 55, 67, 71 

Margaret. See Margaret Fell 
Franklin, Benjamin, 44, 185, 215 
Freame, John, 237, 238 

Margaret. See Margaret Penn 
Margaret and her family, 237 
Philadelphia Hannah (Lady Cre- 
morne),79, 80, 87, 142, 169, 214, 239 



Freame, Priscilla (Barclay), 238, 239 
Thomas, 74, 79, 87, 133, 237, 238, 239, 

242 
Thomas (son of Margaret Penn), 75, 

80, 87, 239, 241, 242 

Gaskell, Alexander Forbes Penn, 221 
Alexander Forbes Penn, 2d, 223 
Christiana Gulielma. See Christiana 

Gulielma Penn 
Christiana Gulielma Penn (Hall), 22.3, 

227 
Eliza Penn, 223 
Elizabeth Penn, 221 
Elizabeth Penn, 2d (Skillern), 224 
Emily Penn (Quinn), 226 
George Penn, 221 
Gulielma Penn, 225 
Hetty Penn, 225 
Isaac Penn, 22.3, 224 
Jane Penn, 221 
Jane Penn, 2d, 223 
Jane Penn, 3d (Irving), 226 
Louisa Penn (Fitzgerald), 224 
Mary Gulielma Penn, 225 
Mary Penn (Coates), 225 
Percy Penn, 226 

Peter, 208, 218, 219, 220, 232, 250 
Peter Penn, 220, 221, 222 
Peter Penn, 2d, 223, 224, 235 
Peter Peun, 3d, 224, 226, 232 
Thomas Penn, 221, 232 
Thomas Penn, 2d, 223 
William Penn, 221 
William Penn, Jr. 221 
AVilliam Penn, 3d. 222 
AViUiam Penn, 4th, 224, 225 
William Penn, 5th, 225 
William Penn, 6th, 226 
Winifred Penn, 226 
Genealogical Tables: 

Admiral Penn's Descent, 14 
Children of Admiral Penn, 46 
Descentof Gulielma Maria Springett, 54 
Children of William Penn's first mar- 
riage, 66 
Descent of Hannah Callowhill, 68 
Children of William Penn's second mar- 
riage, 87 
Children of William Penn, Jr., 127 
Children of Thomas Penn, 151 
Children of Granville Penn, 166 
Children of Sophia Margaretta Penn 

Stuart, 173 
Descendants of Thomas Penn, 176 
Children of Richard Penn, Proprietary, 

198 
Descendants of Richard Penn, 203 
Children of Christiana Gulielma Penn- 
Gaskell, 221 
Line of William Penn, 3d, 228 
Fell Branch Penn Family, 249 
Children of William Penn the Founder, 
252 
Georges, 6, 7, 8 



Index. 



255 



Gilbert, Joan, 8, 14 

Gornm, Sophia. See Sophia Penn 

Sir "William Maynard, 167 
"Goodenstone Court," 48 
Gookin, Governor, 78, 84 
Gordon, Lady Catharine, 208 

Patrick (Governor), 129, 132, 240, 241 
Gould, Priscilla (Freame), 238 
Gouldney, 71, 91, 93, 95, 97, 100, 131 
Grant, Sir Archibald, 65 
Gray, Thomas, 146, 160, 161 
Green, Joseph J., 75, 237, 251 
Grove, Silvanus, 98 

Thomas, 102, 103 
Gurnell, Jonathan, 95, 96, 97, 98, 101, 

251 
Gurney, Hannah Middleton, 61 

Hall, Amelia Penn-Gaskell, 228 

Amelia Penn-Gaskell, 2d, 228 

Christiana Gulielma. See Christiana 
Gulielma Penn-Gaskell 

Christiana Gulielma Penn-Gaskell, 227 

Edward Swabric Penn-Gaskell, 228 

Eliza Penn-Gaskell f Hancock), 227 

Peter Penn-Gaskell, 219, 227 

Peter Penn-Gaskell, 2d, 228 

Philip Penn-Gaskell, 228 

William Penn-Gaskell, 227 

William Penn-Gaskell, 2d, 228 

William Swabric, 223, 227 
Hamilton, Governor, 111, 134, 153, 181, 

184, 185, 188 
Hammersmith, 58 

Hancock, Eliza. See Eliza Penn-Gas- 
kell Hall 

Elizabeth James, 228 

George W., 228 

Henry J., 227 

Jean Barclay Penn-Gaskell, 228 
Harley, Earl of Oxford, 121, 123, 131 
Harsnet, Samuel, Archbishop of York, 31 
Harvey, Thomas, 23, 48 
Head, J. Merrick, 39, 167 
Heath, Charles P., 224 

Louisa (Penn-Gaskell), 223 
Henchman, Dr. Humphrey, 231 
Hill, Richard, 104, 125 
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 39, 

68, 88, 168, 170, 226 
Hitcham, 74, 144, 145, 184 
Hockley, Richard, 135, 15.3, 180, 181, 185, 

19.3, 219, 239 
Hoddesdon, 60, 251 
Hollister, Dennis, 67, 68, 77. 

Hannah (Callowhill), 67, 68, 71 

Lydia (Jordan), 68, 71 

Mary (Clement), 68, 71 

Phebe, 68 
Howe, Earl, 5 
Hughes, Millicent Helen Olivia Bulkeley- 

(Stuart), 249 
Hunger Hill, 52 
Hurley Place, 138 
Hurst, 220, 245, 246, 247 



Imokilly, 26 
Inchy, 26 

Independence Hall, 132 
" Indian Walk," 132 
Irving, Jane. AS'<?e Jane Penn-Gaskell 
AVashington, U. S. N., 226 

Jasper, John, 17, 46 

Margaret, .^ee Lady Penn 
Jeffreys, George (Judge), 49 
Jenkins, Sir Leolin, 2 
Jones, Ann, 108 

Charles, 108 

Charles, Jr., 107, 108 

Griffith, 116 

John, 109 

Jonathan, 133 

Martha, 107 

Mary (Penn), 100, 107, 126, 244 
Jordan, Lydia. See Lydia Hollister 

Robert, 126 

Thomas, 68, 71 
Jordans, 48, 52, 55, 58, 59, 60, 64, 66, 67, 

74, 75, 77, 78, 80, 85, 86, 87, 126, 208, 

209, 232, 237 
"Jordans and the Chalfonts." iS'ee 

" Memories of" 

Keith, Governor, 84, 123, 124, 125, 126, 

215 
Kensington, 62, 75 
Kiddington Hall, 219 
Killcrea, 26 

" King's Farm," 53, 54, 66, 251 
" Kinoith," 234 
Knightsbridge, 75 
Knox, Granville Henry John, 173 
Mary Juliana. See Mary Jul. Stuart 
Thomas, Viscount Northland and 2d 

Earl of Ranfurly, 173 
Thomas, 3d Earl of Ranfurly, 173, 

174 
Thomas Granville Henry Stuart, 4th 

Earl of Ranfurly, 174 
Uchter John Mark, 5th Earl of Ran- 
furly, 174 
Major William Stuart (great-grandson 
of Thomas Penn), 173 

Laboucbere, Right Hon. Henry, 146, 169 
Langley, Dr., Archbishop, 169 
Lardner, Hannah (Penn), 178, ISO, 182 

Dr. John, 178 

Lynford, 178, 181 
Laughton, J. K., 16 
Lawrence, Thomas, 194 
Lea, J. Henry, 4, 7, 15, 19 
Lely, Sir Peter, 20 
Lempster, Baron, 141 

2d Baron. See Earl of Pomfret 
" Letitia House," 168 
Lloyd, Thomas, 60 
Logan, Deborah, 78, 115 

James, 61, 62, 64, 72, 73, 76, 77, 104, 
105, 113, 118, 122, 125, 131, 132 



256 



Index. 



Logan, William, 145 
Lowder, Thomas, 213 
Lowther, Anthony, 18, 21, 22, 23, 24, 42, 
46, 230 

John, 46 

Margaret. See Margaret Penn 

Margaret (Holmes), 23, 24 

Margaret (Poole), 24 

Sir Thomas, 25, 46, 104 

Sir William, 24, 26, 46, 183 

William, 25 
Luton, Bedfordshire, 171, 173, 174 

Macarthy, Lord Muskerry, 26 
McClenachan, George, 223 

Mary (Penn-Gaskell), 223 
Macclesfield, 219 
Macromp, 26, 34 
Maidenhead, 106, 138 
Mansell, Ann, 207 
Markham, 9 
Maske, 21, 22, 46 
Masters mansion, 194, 195 

Mary Lawrence, 193, 194 

Mary (Penn), 193, 194, 197 

Sarah (Camac), 194 

Thomas, 194 

William, 62, 63, 193 
Mead, William, 43 

" Memorial History of Philadelphia," 40 
" Memories of Jordans," etc., 4, 49, 50, 

51, 75, 81, 126 
Mifflin, John F., 192 
Minety, 5, 6 
Mixsell, Amelia (Hall), 227 

Annie M. (Hall), 227 

Philip, 227 
Montagu, Right Hon. Frederick, 159 

Lady Mary Wortley, 171 
Morris, Israel, 220, 246 

Robert, 189, 190 
Mortimer, Earl. See Harley 
Mount Joy, 65, 219 

Newcombe, Gulielma Maria, 248, 249 

Gulielma Maria Frances. jSee Gulielma, 
Maria Frances Fell 

John, 128, 248, 249 

John Springett, 248, 249 

Philadelphia (Brookholding), 248, 249 

Susanna Margaretta, 248, 249 

Thomas Penn, 128 

William Hawkins. 127, 248, 249 
Newgate, 46, 51 

Nicholson, Katharine (Stuart), 175 
" No Cross, No Crown," 29, 41 
Norfolk, Charles, Duke of, 243 
Normandie, John Abraham de, 220 
Norris, Isaac, 72, 77, 111, 112, 113, 114, 

116, 116, 118, 119, 125, 185 

Ormond, Duke of, 39, 231 
Owen, Dr., 36 
Oxford, 34, 36, 232 

Earl of. See Robert Harley 



Palmer, Anthony, 125 

Paris, Ferdinand John, 243 

Paynter, Mary. See Mary Penn 
Samuel, 198 

" Peel Hall," 195 

Penington, Edward, 215, 216 
Isaac (Alderman), 48, 50 
Isaac, 48, 50, 62, 75 
John, 75 

Mary Proude Springett (wife of Isaac 
Penington), 47, 48, 50, 52, 54, 98, 
220 
Mary (Wharley), (dau. of Isaac P.), 98 

Penn, Admiral, ^ee Sir William Penn 

Penn, Ann (wife of John, Governor). 
See Ann Allen 

Penn, Ann (wife of AVilliam, 3d). .S'ee 
Ann Vaux 

Penn, Anne, 52 

Penn, Catharine. AS'ee Catharine Bala- 
brega 

Penn, Christian (wife of William, 3d). 
See Christian Forbes 

Penn, Christiana Gulielma (Gaskell) 
(daughter of William, 3d), birth, 208, 
218 ; marriage, 208, 219 ; legacy to, 66, 
212, 219; lawsuit, 218; Pennsylvania 
properties, 219, 220 ; suit against, 220 ; 
children of, 221; death, 221; line of 
descent, 250 

" Penn Cottage," 223 

Penn, David, 2 

Penn, Dennis (son of the Founder), 77, 
87, 88, 105, 130, 131, 251 

Penn, Eleanor (daughter of Giles), 9 

Penn, Elizabeth, 52 

Penn, George (son of Giles), 9-14 

Penn, George (son of AVilliam), 7, 8, 9 

Penn, Giles, 4, 7, 8, 14 

Penn, Granville, birth, 148, 152, 165; 
portrait, 151; at Oxford, 165; in civil 
service, 165; marriage, 152, 165; set- 
tles in London, 166; "Memorials of 
Admiral Penn," 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10-14, 16, 
16, 18, 21, 25, 26, 28, 30, 35, 64, 166; 
other literary works, 166 ; justice of 
the peace, 1G6; succession at Stoke, 
169; children of, 166; death, 152; 
will, 167 

Penn, Granville John, 80, 142, 166, 167, 
168, 169, 170 

Penn, Gulielma Maria (wife of the 
Founder), 48, 49, 60, 52, 63; (table of 
descent), 54, 60 ; portrait of, 61, 66, 
251 

Penn, Gulielma Maria (infant daughter 
of the Founder), 56, 66, 66 

Penn, Gulielma Maria (2d), (infant 
daughter of the Founder), 68, 67^^ 

Penn, Gulielma Maria (Fell) (daughter 
of William, Jr.), birth, 127; "a sweet 
girl," 109; at her grandmother's, 96; 
writes to Thomas Penn, 99, 100; "a 
beauty," 110; " Guly and Springett," 
112 ; marriage, 127, 245 ; legacy to, 66; 



Index. 



257 



baptism, 127; second marriage, 127, 
245; her son, Robert, 127; her two 

daughters, 128; children of, 245, 248; 

death, 245, 246; burial, 248 
" Penn Hall," 223 
Penn, Hannah Margarita (daughter of 

the Founder), 73, 77, 78, 87 
Penn, Hannah (infant daughter of the 

Founder), 78, 88 
Penn, Hannah (wife of the Founder), 25, 

46, 67. 68, 82, 83, 84, 85, 87, 89, 90- 

100, 119, 130, 131, 244 
Penn, Hannah (wife of Richard, Proprie- 
tary). See Ilannah Lardner 
Penn, Hannah (Clayton) (daughter of 

Richard, Proprietary), birth, 179, 180 ; 

death, 181 
Penn, Hannah (daughter of Richard, 

Governor), 198 
Penn, Henrietta Anne (granddaughter of 

Thomas), 167 
" Penn," Bucks, 3, 4, 5, 15, 52, 147, 181 
Penn, Isabella Mary (granddaughter of 

Thomas), 167 
Penn, Joan (mother of Admiral Penn), 46 
Penn, John (Proprietary) (son of the 

Founder), birth, 72; "little Johnne," 

62 ; letter from Letitia, 64; character, 

73, 74 ; inheritance in America, 74; 
goes to Pennsylvania, 74, 133; returns 
to England, 74, 134; litigation over 
Maryland boundary, 74 ; bachelor es- 
tablishment at Feens, 74, 235 ; portrait, 
75 ; letter to Thomas, 90 ; in London, 
105; bequests to, 120; receives half 
Pennsylvania property, 131; guardian 
of children of William Penn, 3d, 212; 
letters from Agent at Feens, 235-237 ; 
letters from brother Thomas and the 
Freames, 105, 239-243; letters from 
Charles Fell, 247; illness, 138; death, 

74, 135; grave, 75, 86, 237 

Penn, John (son of Thomas), birth, 145, 
152 ; baptism, 152 ; at school, 154, 155 ; 
travels on the Continent, 155 ; return to 
England, 155; life use of Stoke, 153; 
alterations at Stoke, 146, 159; portrait, 
151, 162, 165; odes, 155; character, 
156; visit to Pennsylvania, 156; resi- 
dence in Philadelphia, 156 ; loss of the 
proprietary estates, 156; care of re- 
maining property, 158 ; " Commonplace 
Book," 157, 158; <' The Solitude," 158 ; 
city house, 158 ; return to England, 
158; sheriff of Buckinghamshire, 159; 
member of Parliament, 160; Governor 
of Portland, 160; " Pennsylvania Cas- 
tle," 80, 160; cenotaph to Gray, 160; 
collection of Gray's works, 160; me- 
morial to Sir Edward Coke, 161 ; pur- 
chase of adjoining farm, 162; London 
house, 162 ; Outinian Society, 162-164 ; 
letter to Francis llopkinson, 165; liter- 
ary works, 165; degree of LL.D., 165; 
"recluse life," 191; death, 152, 165 



Penn, John (Governor), son of Richard 
(Proprietary), birth, 178, 180; educa- 
tion, 150; marriage, 182; in Geneva, 
183; favor of Thomas Penn, 183, 184; 
goes to Pennsylvania, 184; member of 
Provincial Council, 185 ; return to Eng- 
land, 186, 187 ; return to Pennsylvania, 
186, 187; public service, 187, 188; 
Governor of Pennsylvania, 158, 182, 
186; second marriage, 188; " Lans- 
downe," 190; city house, 190; land- 
warrant, 246; death and burial, 191, 
192 

Penn, John William (grandson of 
Thomas), 166 

Penn, Juliana (Baker) (daughter of 
Thomas), birth, 147, 151 ; portrait, 151 ; 
marriage, 151 ; place of burial, 161 

Penn, Juliana Margaret (infant daughter 
of Granville), 166 

Penn, Lady Juliana (wife of Thomas). 
*S'ec Lady Juliana Feruior 

Penn, Lady (wife of Sir William), 17, 18, 
20, 22, 23, 24, 31, 46, 49 

Penn, Letitia (Aubrey) (daughter of the 
Founder), birth, 57, 67; accompanies 
her father to Pennsylvania, 61 ; char- 
acter as a girl, 61 ; marriage, 61-63, 67, 
244; William Masters, 62, 193; letter 
to John Penn, 64 ; American estate, 66 ; 
bequests to, 120; plate, 211; death, 
64, 67 ; grave, 86, 237 ; will, 65 

"Penn-Logan Correspondence," 109 

Penn, Louisa Emily (daughter of Gran- 
ville), 167 

Penn, Louisa Hannah (daughter of 
Thomas), 147, 151, 162 

Penn mansion, 167 

Penn, Margaret (wife of William, the 
law-clerk). See Margaret Rastall 

Penn, Margaret. iSVe Lady Penn 

Penn, Margaret (Lowther) (daughter of 
Admiral Penn), 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 
24, 25, 42, 46, 97, 230 

Penn, Margaret (Freame) (daughter of 
the Founder), birth, 76, 87 ; marriage, 

79, 87, 239 ; accompanies John to Penn- 
sylvania, 74, 1 33 ; letter to Thomas, 93 ; 
home with John, 104; return to Eng- 
land, 133, 135; in Pennsylvania, 137; 
letters to John, 144, 241, 242; letters 
concerning, 236, 239 ; death and burial, 

80, 87; grave, 81, 86, 237 

Penn, Marie (daughter of William, the 

law-clerk), 7 
Penn, Mary (wife of Richard, Governor). 

See Mary Masters 
Penn, Mary (Paynter) (daughter of 

Richard, Governor), birth, marriage, 

death, 198 
Penn, Mary (wife of AVilliam, Jr.). See 

Mary Jones 
Penn, Mary (infant daughter of the 

Founder), 55, 56, 67 
Penn, Rachel (daughter of Giles), 9 



258 



Index. 



Penn, Richard (son of Admiral Penn), 
18,21,42, 46 

Penn, Richard (Proprietary) (son of the 
Founder), birth, T6, 87, 177 ; at school, 
105; inheritance in America, 130, 131, 
177, 178 ; apprenticeship, 177 ; marriasje, 
178; children of, 178, 179, 180, 181; 
"Stanwell," 179; " Batavia House," 
182; death and burial, 181 ; will, 181; 
family vault, 182; table of descend- 
ants, 203 

Penn, Richard (Governor) (son of Rich- 
ard, Proprietary), birth and education, 
192 ; executor of Thomas Penn's estate, 
153; accompanies his brother John to 
Pennsylvania, 186 ; commission as Gov- 
ernor, 187; superseded by John Penn, 
187, 189; estrangement and recon- 
ciliation, 189; suit against his brother, 
192; Jockey Club, 192; popularity, 
193; appointed naval officer, 193; 
marriage, 193; Masters mansion, 196; 
"Peel Hall," 195; goes to England, 
196 ; financial distress, 196 ; succeeds 
to the Proprietarj' estates, 197; mem- 
ber of Parliament, 197 ; short residence 
in Philadelphia, 197 ; death, 197 ; char- 
acteristics, 198; children of, 198 

Penn, Richard (son of Richard, Gov- 
ernor), government official, 202 ; cipher 
code, 201; F.R.S., 202; portrait, 202; 
personal characteristics, 202; book on 
angling, etc., 202; death, 202 

Penn, Sara (daughter of William, the 
law-clerk), 7 

Penn, Sophia Margaretta (Stuart) (daugh- 
ter of Thomas), birth, 148, 152, 171 ; at 
Stoke, 154; marriage, 152, 171; Pro- 
prietary, estate passes to, 168; illness 
and death of Archbishop Stuart, 172; 
death, 152, 173; place of burial, 173; 
children. 173 ; descendants, 143, 250 

Penn, Sophia (Gomm) (granddaughter of 
Thomas), 166 

Penn, Springett (son of the Founder), 
birth, 55, 56; death, 58, 59, 67; me- 
morial concerning, 59 

Penn, Springett (son of William, Jr.), 
birth, 109, 128; the "Saracen," 128; 
in Ireland, 104; correspondence with 
John Penn, 128, 129 ; Thomas Penn his 
guardian, 150; heir-at-law of William 
Penn, Jr., 131 ; appoints (with Hannah 
Penn) Governor of Pennsylvania, 129; 
death, 129 

Penn, Springett, 3d (son of William, 3d), 
birth, 210 ; at school, 21 3 ; characteris- 
tics as a child, 213; "Sankey," 213; 
executor of William Penn, 3d, 212; 
lottery ticket, 214; letter from Benja- 
min Franklin, 215; death, 216 

Penn, Susanna (Cusse) (daughter of Wil- 
liam, the law-clerk), 7, 8 

Penn, Sybil, 2 
V Penn, Thomas (Proprietary) (son of 



the Founder), birth, 73, 87 inheri- 
tance in America, 75 ; goes toLondon, 
90, 130; letters from his mother, 90 
et seq. ; bequests to, 120 ; letters to, 
128; goes to Pennsylvania, 130, 132; 
return to England, 130, 135. 137; Pro- 
prietor of Pennsylvania, 130; inheri- 
tance in America, 130, 131; residence 
in Philadelphia, 132, 134 ; important 
figure in public affairs, 136 ; volumi- 
nous correspondence, 136; commercial 
ventures, 137; at " Feens" and " Hur- 
ley Place," 138; "unfortunate acci- 
dent," 140; marriage, 130, 139, 142; 
marriage settlement, 142, 143 ; presents 
bestowed, 144 ; letter of congratulation, 
144; changes in religious connections, 
144, 145 ; town-house, 145 ; buys Stoke, 
145; nominated sheriflF, 148 ; declining 
health, 148, 149 ; character, 150 ; family 
portrait, 151, 175; letter to Richard 
Hockley, 180; proposed visit to Penn- 
sylvania, 184; letters concerning John 
Penn, his nephew, 184, 188; guardian 
of children of William Penn, 3d, 212; 
letters from Ann Penn, 216 ; corre- 
spondence with Alexander Durdin, 
217; death, 130, 150; place of burial, 
146, 150; children of, 5, 147, 151, 152; 
will, 153; descendants of, 153 et seq. ; 
table of descent, 176 

Penn, Thomas (child of Thomas Penn, 
Proprietary), 147, 152 

Penn, Thomas (agent at "Feens"), 138, 
235, 240 

Penn, Thomas Gordon (grandson of 
Thomas Penn), 166, 167, 168, 170, 174 

Penn, William of Minety (great-great- 
grandfather of William the Founder), 
5, 6, 7 

Penn, William, law-clerk (son of William 
Penn of Minety), 7, 8, 14 

Penn, William (son of William, law- 
clerk), 7. 

Penn, Sir William, progenitors of, 5 et 
seq.; birth, 9, 15; mother of, 8; tiible 
of descent, 14; baptism, education, 
marriage, 16; letter from John Georges, 
7; anniversary, 16; wife, 17; Pepys's 
dislike for, 19 ; capture of Spanish 
gentleman by, 10, 11; Sir Peter Lely's 
portrait of, 20, 28, 175; residence in 
London, 27, 30; gold chain of, 28, 250; 
personal appearance of, 28 ; letters to 
his son, 28; naval battle with the 
Dutch, 39 ; petition in behalf of his 
son, 231, 232 ; Shangarry estate, 232 ; 
Cloyne, 233; illness and death, 21, 
46; "dying words," 29; inscription 
on tomb, 4, 15, 229; will, 18; prop- 
erty of, 25, 26; children of, 21; sum- 
mary, 46; armor accompanying tablet, 
229; opening of tomb, 229 

Penn, William, the Founder, ancestry of, 
5; birth, 17, 30, 31; place of birth, 



Index. 



259 



28; childhood and youth, 30 et seq. ; 
at school at Chigwell, 31-33; affection 
and regard for his mother, 18 ; appear- 
ance in youth, 33 ; fondness for manly 
sports, 33 ; private tutor, 34; removal 
to Ireland, 34; at Oxford, 34; in Ger- 
many, 34; Admiral Penn's vrill, 18; 
coat of arms, 3; claim for damages, 
13; portrait, 28, 226; summary of 
experiences, 35 ; tour in France, 37 ; 
studies at Saumer, 37 ; excursion into 
Italy, 37; Pennsylvania undertaking, 
36 ; study of the law, 38 ; letters to his 
father, 38; military service, 39; por- 
trait in armor, 39, 175; becomes a 
Friend, 40; "The Sandy Foundation 
shaken," 29, 38, 231 ; imprisonment in 
the Tower, 38, 40, 41, 230-232: "No 
Cross, No Crown," 22, 29; " Apology," 
40, 41 ; " turned out of doors," 40 ; in 
Ireland, 41, 42; trial of Penn and 
Mead, 44; imprisonment at Newgate, 
46; courtship, 51; first marriage, 47, 
51-53; marriage certificate, 53; "A 
seasonable Caveat against Popery," 
51 ; sails for Pennsylvania, 57 ; letter 
of counsel to wife and children, 57; 
letters to his children, 58 ; memorial of 
Springett, 69 ; memorial of his wife, 
60 ; children of first marriage, 62, 252 ; 
return to England, 61, 72; second mar- 
riage, 62, 67, 69, 244; marriage of his 
daughter, 61-63 ; second wife's ances- 
try, 68 ; certificate of second marriage, 
69, 70; second voj'ageto Pennsylvania, 
71 ; house in the Strand, 75 ; Brent- 
ford, 76; Ealing, 77; in Fleet prison, 
78 ; apoplectic stroke, 81 ; mental 
powers disabled, 83; family life at 
Ruscombe, 88 ct seq. ; visit to Bath, 
101; expenses at Ruscombe, 102; let- 
ters concerning William Penn, Jr., 
110-113; sale of Pennsylvania to the 
Crown, 120; death and burial, 85; 
will, 83, 120; suit over will, 129; 
boundary dispute, 130 ; will estab- 
lished, 131; gracious manner, 133; 
" Innocency with her open Face," 232; 
house at Shangarry, 235 ; sale of Worm- 
inghurst, 243 ; trust grant to Sir John 
Fagg, 246 ; staflt of Charles I., 250 ; 
children of second marriage, 87, 252; 
living descendants, 250; table of chil- 
dren, 252 
Penn, William (son of George), 9, 19 
Penn, William (infant son of the Foun- 
der), 55, 56, 66 
Penn, William, Jr. (son of the Founder), 
birth, 57, 67, 107 ; inheritance of Wor- 
minghurst, 67 ; letters to James Logan, 
62, 63; marriage, 107; certificate of 
marriage, 107; neglect of wife and 
children, 89; life in France, 104; goes 
to Pennsylvania, 110; Penu-Logan let- 
ters concerning, 110-113; member of 



Provincial Council, 113 ; leaves Friends, 
115, 116; afi"air at Enoch Story's, 115; 
return to England, 117; attempt at 
public career, 117; in need of money, 
118; Worminghurst sold, 118, 119,243; 
inheritance by second will, 120 ; claims 
the governorship, 124; death, 126; 
children of, 127 ; marriage settlement, 
244 ; land for use of, 246 
Penn, William, 3d (son of William, Jr.), 
birth, 110, 129, 204; "little Billy," 
112; the "minimus," 110, 129; legacy 
to, 66, 211; marriage, 129, 137, 204; 
marriage certificate, 205 ; prior en- 
gagement, 207 ; death of his wife, 208 ; 
in Ireland, 204; "Shangarry," 204, 
232, 233; "The Rocks," 204; second 
marriage, 209; letters to Thomas Penn, 
209-212, removal to Ireland, 210; 
matrimonial troubles, 210; death, 212; 
will, 212; table of descent and de- 
scendants, 228 ; letter from Margaret 
Freanie to John Penn concerning, 242; 
land received and sold, 246, 247 
Penn, William (infant son of Thomas), 

147, 161 
Penn, William (child of Thomas), 147, 
162 

Penn, William (grandson of Thomas), 
166, 169 

Penn, William (son of Richard, Proprie- 
tary), 181, 182 

Penn, William (son of Richard, Gover- 
nor), birth and education, 198; " Vin- 
dicias Britannicaj," 199; captain of 
militia, 199; goes to Philadelphia, 
199; marriage, 199; attempt to sell 
Pennsylvania interests, 200; return to 
England, 200 ; in debtors' prison, 200 ; 
"Rajah of Vaneplysia," 201; death 
and burial, 201, 229; characteristics, 
201 

Penn, William Benjamin, 251 

Penne Family of Shropshire, 3 

" Penns and Peningtons," 4, 16, 48, 49, 
55, 61 

Pennsbury, 61, 114, 168, 209, 218 

Penn's imprisonment in the Tower, 230 

" Penn's Lodge," 4, 6 

Pennsylvania Castle, 39, 80, 160, 162, 
167 

Pepys, Samuel, Diary, 14, 16-24, 27, 35- 
38, 40, 41 

Peters, Richard, 136, 138, 139, 153, 154, 
181, 184, 185, 186, 188 

Physick, Edmund, 154, 165 

Plumstead, Clement, 114 

Pole, Sir Charles Morrice, Admiral, 173 
Henrietta Maria Sarah (Stuart), 173 

Pomfret, Thomas, Earl of, 139, 141, 142 

Poole, Benjamin, 24 
Sir William, 21 

Powlett, William, Earl, 121, 12.3. 

Preston, Catherine, 24 
Samuel, 33, 119, 125, 131 



260 



Index. 



■ Price, Eli K., 130 
Proude, Sir John, 49, 54, 66 
Mary. See Mary Penington 

Quinn, Emily. See Emily Penn-Gaskell 
Granville Penn-Gaskell, 226 
John Paul, M.D., 226 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 234 

Ranfurly, Earl of, 140, 151, 171, 250 

Bastall, John, 8 

Margaret (Penn), 7 
Rawdon, 251 

Rawle, AVilliam Henry, 143, 251 
Rawlins, John Fawset Herbert, 151 
Reading meeting, 82, 83, 84 
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 80, 151 
Rickmansworth, 47, 62, 55 
Rigg, J. M., 28, 34 

Roberts, Hannah. 138, 179, 235, 236, 240 
Robinson, Sir John, 44, 50, 232 
"Rocks, The," 204, 210, 211, 213 
Rooth, Sir Richard, 21 
"Ruscombe," 76, 79, 82, 84, 85, 88, 103, 

104, 106 
Russell, Mary, 95, 93 

Michael, 90 

St. Katharine's, 30 

St. Mary RedclifFe, 4, 8, 9, 14, 46, 229 

Sandwich, Earl of, 231 

" Sandy Foundation Shaken,," 29, 38, 

231 
Schurmann, Anna Maria von, 35, 40 
"Shangarry," 26, 27, 47, 204, 218, 221, 

222, 224, 226, 232-235 
Shangarry Castle, 233 
Sharp, Isaac, Jr., 239 
Sharpless, Isaac, 74 
Shippen, Edward, 71, 189 
Skillern, Elizabeth. See Elizabeth Penn- 
Gaskell 

Louella, 224 

Penn-Gaskell, 224 

Peter Penn-Gaskell, 224 

Samuel Ruff, 224 

Violet, 224 
Smith, John Jay, 80, 126, 169, 170 

Joseph, 90 
"Solitude, The," 158, 168 
Springett, Gulielma Maria (Penn). See 
Gulielma Maria Penn 

Herbert, 54 

Mary Proude. .S'ee Mary Penington 

Sir AVilliam, 48, 54, 66 
"Stanwell," 179 
Stillingfleet, Dr., 41, 49, 232 
" Stoke Poges," 5, 80, 129, 145, 146, 153, 

159, 160, 166, 167, 169, 181 
"Stone Dean," 52 
Stone, Dr. F. D., 37 

Thomas, 83, 85 
Stoughton, Dr., 30, 32, 33, 35 
Strangman, T. Wilson, 234 
Stuart, Elizabeth Frances Sybil, 175 



Stuart, Henry, 174 

Louisa, 174 

Henry Esme, 175 

Mary Charlotte Florence, 175 

Mary Juliana (Knox), 173 

Sophia. See Sophia Penn 

William, Archbishop, 171, 172, 250 

William, 173, 174, 251 

Colonel William, 173, 175 

Major William Dugald, 39, 175, 249, 
250 

William Esme Montague, 249 
Stubbs, Charles Edward, 226 

Mary Kathleen (Gaskell), 226 
Summers, W. H., 4, 49, 50, 51, 52, 54, 65, 

75, 126, 209 
"Sunville," 234 

Tables. Genealogical. See Genealogical 

Tables 
"Tempsford Hall," 39, 151, 175, 249 
Thomas, Aubrey, 127, 247 

Governor, 132, 134, 145 

Martha, 127 

Rees, 127 

AVilliam Penn, 245, 247 
Thompson, Gilbert, 213 
Trent, AVilliam, 114, 118, 125 
Turner, Robert, 36 
Twyford, 88 
Tyler's End Green, 51 

Urbina, Don Juan de, 10 

Ury, 207 

Utey, Dr. Emanuel, 33 

Vaux, 127, 209 

Ann (Penn), 209, 210, 213, 215, 216, 
217, 242 
Vernon, Admiral, 79, 243 
Vickris, 95, 106, 138, 179, 180 

AValthamstow, 18, 19, 21, 24, 25, 46, 51, 
55 

AVanstead, 21, 24, 31, 42, 44, 46, 51 

Wayne, 224 

Webb, Maria, 4, 16, 48, 49, 51, 55, 57, 61, 
109, 126, 127, 218, 234 

AVestcott. Thompson, 194, 198 

AVharley, Daniel, 98 

AVhitehead, George, 40, 44 

AVight, Thomas, 42, 95, 97, 101 

AVilkinson, John, 75 

AVood, Anthony, 35 

Worcester, Bishop of. See Dr. Stilling- 
fleet 

" Worminghurst," 48, 49, 55, 56, 62, 67, 
71, 77, 109, 111, 117. 118, 119, 128, 
204, 243, 244 

Yeates, Jasper, 125 

York, Archbishop of. See Harsnet 

Youghal, 233, 234 

Zachary, Daniel, 51 



y 



